Chapter 209: Elaria’s Future World Can Be as Big as She Wants

[Regular-Seat Chat Group]

"??? Did I see that right?! Did Champion Steven just steal a rock and run out of a museum with it?!"

"What are you talking about? When a Champion does it, it can’t be called stealing. It’s called relocating an exhibit!"

"Imagine the museum curator coming to work tomorrow, finding the display case empty, checking the security footage, and realizing the Champion did it. I’ve already picked out the perfect expression for him: (⊙_⊙)"

"Curator: Should we call the police? Officer: Call them for what? The Champion stole a rock. The Elite Four can’t stop him, the League can’t stop him, and even if the Chairman showed up, he’d probably have to hand Steven another one."

[VIP Chat Group]

[Wallace]: Steven, care to explain?

[Steven]: Explain what? My parallel-world self was helping the museum relocate an exhibit. That’s public service.

[Wallace]: Then why was the security guard chasing you?

[Steven]: ...The security guard wanted to help relocate it too.

[Leon]: Damn. I thought Asher was already the king of refusing to admit defeat, but Steven can apparently give him a run for his money.

[Sidney]: What a pair of brothers in suffering.

[Drake]: Steven, have you ever considered what would happen to the League’s reputation if every Champion behaved like you?

[Steven]: When have I ever embarrassed the League during all my years as Champion? If I quit being Champion, then any embarrassment afterward is just my own problem, isn’t it?

[Lance]: ...That somehow makes so much sense that I can’t even argue with it.

[Lorelei]: Putting that aside, Elaria is becoming increasingly familiar with Hoopa’s ability to travel through its rings. Her future journeys must be incredibly interesting. After all, she can reach practically anywhere without having to spend days traveling there.

[Phoebe]: Still, the journey itself is an important part of how a Trainer grows. I suppose it’ll depend on how Elaria chooses to use Hoopa’s abilities.

The video continued playing.

Time passed in Alola at an exceptionally leisurely pace.

Plenty of things happened during that period.

For example—

Hoopa once attempted to teleport the entire Pokémon School to the Galar region because, according to it, "the weather over there is better for holding a sports festival."

Principal Samson discovered what it was doing just in time and stopped it.

As punishment, Hoopa was sentenced to water every flower bed on campus for an entire week.

Then there was the time Hoopa tried to prove that it was "faster than any delivery service."

It teleported a rare fossil from Steven’s private collection room in Hoenn directly onto Elaria’s desk—

Then forgot to send it back.

When Elaria personally returned the fossil later, Steven visibly aged by three years on the spot.

But no matter how much chaos Hoopa caused, Elaria remained the most popular student in the entire school.

Her desk drawer was perpetually stuffed with snacks her classmates had given her.

And every day after school, her classmates would voluntarily stay behind to watch Hoopa’s magic performances.

Before anyone realized it—

Elaria had already remained at the Pokémon School until she was ten years old.

It was finally time for her to leave Alola.

Before her departure, the school organized a farewell ceremony for her.

"Today, the Pokémon School will be saying goodbye to a very special student."

Principal Samson stood on the stage.

"Elaria’s time studying here in Alola is coming to an end, and she will soon embark on a brand-new journey—"

"Principal!"

A student below the stage raised their hand.

"Where is Elaria going?"

"Well..."

Principal Samson stroked his chin.

"According to her father, Chairman Asher, he wants her to ’go see a bigger world.’"

"How big is a bigger world?"

"No idea."

"But in her case, it can probably be as big as she wants."

Good-natured laughter erupted throughout the audience.

Once Elaria stepped onto the stage, Principal Samson cleared his throat.

"Elaria, as you prepare to leave Alola, I would like to present you with a special farewell gift on behalf of every teacher and student at the Pokémon School—"

"A Pokémon joke that I spent an entire week creating especially for you!"

"Listen carefully—"

Principal Samson looked around dramatically.

"Why can’t Wailord join a choir?"

Several students below the stage had already begun pulling their clothes tighter around themselves.

"Because—"

"Whenever Wailord opens its mouth..."

"All it can do is wail!"

The temperature in the entire room seemed to plummet by ten degrees.

Even the few Comfey sunbathing outside the window collectively curled themselves into flower buds the instant they heard the joke.

The students expressionlessly applauded a few times.

Clearly, they had long since become accustomed to this.

Only Principal Samson himself doubled over laughing.

His laughter echoed throughout the spacious hall like some ancient sound reverberating through the ages.

"Hahahahaha—cough, cough, cough, cough!"

Principal Samson’s laughter abruptly turned into a coughing fit.

He waved toward the audience.

"All right!"

"Now we move on to the next part of the ceremony."

"Elaria, please give us your farewell speech!"

"Thank you, everyone."

Elaria bowed toward the audience.

"I’ve been really happy during my time in Alola."

"So happy that I feel like if I didn’t preserve these days somehow, I’d definitely regret it when I grew up."

She pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper from her bag and slowly unfurled it across the podium.

It was a long panoramic painting.

The entire Pokémon School had been painted across it—

The main school building standing in the center.

The Pokémon battle area on the training grounds.

The palm trees on the hill behind the school.

Students lining up outside the cafeteria.

And even the Comfey beside the school entrance that seemed to be asleep every single day.

The audience remained silent for roughly three seconds.

Then—

Thunderous applause erupted throughout the hall.

Principal Samson carefully rolled the painting back up and hugged it against his chest.

His eyes were already turning red.

"Elaria..."

"This painting will be displayed in the Pokémon School’s Hall of Honor from now on."

"When you accomplish even greater things in the future—perhaps even becoming someone as accomplished as your principal—we’ll hang your photograph beside this painting too."

"Grandpa Principal, Elaria doesn’t want to become a principal."

"Principals go bald easily."

"Pfft—cough, cough."

Professor Kukui, standing nearby, failed to hold back his laughter.

Then he immediately turned toward Principal Samson with a serious expression.

"Um..."

"I think when it comes to terrible jokes, Elaria is fully qualified to inherit your legacy."

"Really?"

Principal Samson reached up and touched his head.

At the school entrance—

Lusamine and Lillie had already been waiting for quite a while.

"Mother."

Lillie’s voice sounded slightly gloomy.

"Is Elaria really leaving today?"

"Lillie, you’ve been like this ever since you woke up this morning."

Lusamine took off her sunglasses.

"Elaria is only going back to Kalos. She isn’t being launched into outer space."

"You’ll still be able to see each other in the future."

"I know."

Lillie’s voice remained subdued.

"It’s just..."

"I won’t be able to see her every day anymore."

"It’ll take some getting used to."

The school doors opened.

Elaria came running outside with Kirlia in her arms, while Hoopa floated beside her.

"Big Sister Lillie!"

Elaria ran straight toward Lillie and looked up at her, her golden eyes sparkling brightly.

"You really came!"

"Of course I came."

Lillie crouched down and gently straightened Elaria’s hair.

"Today is your farewell ceremony. How could I possibly miss it?"

Elaria pulled a rolled-up sheet of paper from her bag and offered it to Lillie with both hands.

"Big Sister Lillie, this is for you."

Lillie unfurled the painting—

And froze.

It depicted the day she and Elaria had first met.

Lillie was crouching on the floor at Elaria’s eye level, their faces close together as they looked at one another.

In the bottom-right corner, written in crooked handwriting, were the words—

"Big Sister Lillie’s hair looks like the sun."

"This is Elaria’s favorite painting."

Elaria spoke with complete seriousness.

"Because starting from this day..."

"Elaria got a big sister who was just like the sun."

[VIP Chat Group]

[May]: Uuuuu... Now I understand why parallel-world Lillie developed such a little-sister complex. Who could possibly resist such a sweet, well-behaved little girl?!

[Mallow]: Lillie is usually so busy at the research institute, yet she’s this upset just because Elaria is leaving. This is maternal love.(Absolutely certain.)

[Lillie]: Mallow! What do you mean, maternal love?! Don’t say things like that! (///)

...

TL: Don’t worry Samson I think it was funny.