In an office,"So? Was this older sister right? Your Pokémon really has no talent. I know you love it, but you need to get stronger. Come back here tomorrow—Dad and I have already chosen a new Pokémon for you," came a voice over the phone.
"Hahhhh… alright," Brielle replied with a sigh.After seeing the results—Boltund's quality was only yellow and it couldn't be promoted to Gym or Master level—she was heartbroken. It took her several hours before she could finally accept the truth.
Brielle flew from Light City Airport to the Setra Region, where the Mikhail family headquarters is located.
Since the outbreak of the legendary battle between Groudon and Kyogre, seven out of the ten existing regions now have official administrators. The Alpha Region is governed by the Qing family, the Setra Region by the Mikhail family, the Slipah Region by the Sakamoto family, the Wind Region by the Elizabeth family, the North Region by the Edward family, the Jyid Region by the Ammar family, and the Ruon Region by the Kim family. However, even though they serve as regional heads, they still operate under the rules set by the Pokémon Alliance.
The other three regions have different structures. The Orange Region is jointly managed by three mid-tier families—Hartono, Nguyen, and Somsak—who have formed an alliance specifically to govern it. As for the Ulfa and Breno Regions, these are the first to be administered directly by the Alliance itself.
The Ulfa Region is home to the World Arena, where international-level tournaments are held. These include the Pokémon World Cup (PWC), which takes place every three years and features five representatives from each region battling for glory; the Pokémon Master Clash (PMC), where champions from each region (except for Ulfa and Breno, which don't have regional champions) compete against one another; and the World Class Festival (WCF), a contest where the top three performers from each region are invited to participate. There are also other global events like the Breeder Expo.
Meanwhile, the Breno Region serves as the main headquarters of the Pokémon Alliance.
...
The city of Arsk, the heart of the Setra Region, was just like Light City in the Orange Region—buzzing with activity and serving as the region's core.
Brielle stepped out of the airport and gazed at the familiar, bustling streets.
"Hahhh, it's been a long time since I've been back here," she muttered to herself.
She stood on the airport platform until a sleek red sports car pulled up in front of her. The window rolled down, revealing her older sister, Sonya.
"Hop in. Mom's been dying to see you—she misses you like crazy."
Brielle got into the car, and it sped off smoothly. Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a grand villa nestled in the heart of the city, complete with a sprawling garden out front. Standing near the entrance were two familiar figures: Mikhail Volkov and his wife, Aleksandr Irine—Sonya and Brielle's parents.
As soon as Brielle stepped out of the car, Irine rushed forward and wrapped her in a tight hug.
"Oh, my dear girl… You've gotten so thin. I've been so worried. Can you please just stay this time?" she pleaded.
Brielle met her mother's eyes, her expression resolute.
"No, Mom. I need to get stronger. If I don't… then I'll be the only one in this family who's useless."
And in this family, that meant something. Everyone was strong. Even Irine, who came from the respectable Alexander family—a mid-tier household in the Setra Region—had already reached Gym-level strength before marrying. Now, she was nearly at the threshold of becoming a King-level trainer.
"But my daughter, even if you're not strong, we still—" Irine's words were cut off by Volkov.
"Heh, Irine, don't act like you don't know our daughter's stubborn. She's just like you were back in the day," Volkov said with a faint chuckle. "Let her stay in the Orange Region. It's one of the safest places out there, right after Ulfa and Breno."
"Hmph!" Even though Irine agreed with what Volkov said, his interruption still irritated her—so she simply ignored him.
Volkov could only chuckle seeing him being ignored.
...
The next morning, Volkov took Brielle to the ecological park, located just 500 meters behind their villa.
"It's been a while since you've come here, hasn't it? There are three Blue-tier Pokémon inside now, and over twenty Green-tier ones. You can pick whatever you want, but for the Blue-tier Pokémon, you can only take two. Your sister Sonya still needs one more," Volkov explained.
"Yes, Dad," Brielle replied, her voice quiet. She was still feeling a little down about her Boltund, which turned out unable to grow stronger.
As they stepped into the ecological park, Volkov pointed out the available Pokémon—two Growlithe and one Houndour, all with Blue-tier talent. These were the best Volkov had managed to gather on short notice after the quality assessment device was created.
Brielle didn't take long to decide. Without hesitation, she chose one Growlithe and the Blue-tier Houndour.
Seeing Brielle's choice, Volkov asked again, "Are you sure you don't want more? Those 20 Green-tier Pokémon are still very good, you know."
"No, Dad. With these two and Boltund, it's already going to be a handful. Once they evolve into Arcanine and Houndoom, they'll be more stable in behavior—I'll manage better then."
"Why don't you just leave your Boltund here and take another Green-tier Pokémon instead?" Volkov coaxed gently.
Brielle simply stared at him.
Volkov met her eyes and let out a sigh. "Alright, alright—have it your way."
The next day, Brielle set off for the Orange Region, specifically to the city of Arca.
Walking into the familiar office and greeting her subordinates, Brielle sat down at her computer and began searching for ways to improve a Pokémon's quality. She still wasn't ready to give up on Boltund—not yet.
"Don't worry, Boltund. I won't give up on you, not even if it kills me," she whispered, almost to herself.
As if in response, one of her Pokéballs trembled faintly.