‘Not bad for the first day.’ Daniel mused while watching the teens dig into their food.


    They were inside a Bouffalant Wings restaurant near downtown, by the Pokemon Center. After leaving their Pokemon to be checked and properly treated, they ordered several servings of wings to feast on. Linda and Kiran looked a bit queasy at the smell of meat, so Daniel ordered a vegetarian burger each.


    Daniel remembered his father taking him to a place like this when he was a child. The aroma of the meat, the sounds of the sizzling oil, the texture of the seats… A quick channel of Fairy aura was necessary to control his emotions. The actual flavor was nothing to write home about. ‘If anything, they’re below average…’ But it felt familiar, like home.


    The kids had potential. Each had their flair that came with an early aura awakening. There were no fruits to show or even proper roots, but a seed was enough for now. He was a bit worried about Kiran at the beginning of his… attitude, but his test revealed him to have a softer heart under his prickly personality.


    “Thanks for the food!”


    Amelie was the first to devour her plate, betraying his expectations. He expected Reece or Nate to finish first, but the brown-haired girl beat them by a lot. Kiran quietly scoffed but didn’t comment.


    As the kids finished their meals, Daniel took his chance to chat with them a bit.


    “So, let’s continue our introductions.” He nodded sagely. “What are your dreams?”


    “I want to explore Unova!” Amelie exclaimed with a toothy grin. “There are so many places I want to visit! And food I want to try!”


    “Lower your voice,” Kiran growled at her, still munching on his burger. The girl smirked at him in response.


    “Or what? You’ll sing me a lullaby?”


    “WH-!”


    Kiran’s face flushed before he had a coughing fit. After desperately drinking the rest of his soda, the boy angrily glared at her. Amelie smiled innocently and blinked several times.


    “Now, children.” Daniel cleared his throat before anything could escalate. “No fighting.”


    “Chil-” Kiran looked stunned for a second before his glare returned.


    “We’re in public right now.” Daniel used his mouth to point at the rest of the patrons inside the restaurant.


    That seemed to do the trick, Kiran returned to his burger with a huff while Amelie smiled victoriously. He was all in for jabs at each other like that, but he felt the kids were not at a point where that kind of humor would be tolerated by the other.


    “That wasn’t nice of you, Amelie.” Daniel used some Fairy aura to project a ‘reproachful teacher’ impression.


    “…Sorry.” The girl lowered her head and apologized with a guilty expression. Kiran mumbled something but did nothing else.


    “Great! Now, who wants to continue?” Daniel let go of his aura and returned to a more cheerful persona.


    “I want to be a hiker like my dad.” Reece nodded, finishing his last wing. “I… always wanted to see a volcano.”


    “Sounds like a plan.” Daniel nodded with a smile. “We should organize an expedition one of these days.”


    He could see the boy’s eyes light up and his arms tense. It was subtle, but he was easy to read if he knew where to look.


    "I want to explore the world too!" Linda chimed in, eagerly sharing photos on her Xtransceiver. The screen flickered with images of planes soaring through the sky, towering mountain peaks, and even a few Pokemon she’d encountered. "I want to travel to every region and be a famous photographer!" she said, her face lighting up with a wide, enthusiastic smile.


    “Got a lot of wanderlust in our little class, eh?” Daniel chuckled and nodded at Linda. “I’ll see what I can do about that.”


    “Really?!” She perked up at this, forgetting her Xtransceiver and focusing fully on Daniel.


    “I don’t think so.” Valerie’s voice cut through her enthusiasm like a knife. “Grandfather told me Unova has rocky relationships with several regions. And it’s very expensive for just one person to cross. Imagine eight.”


    Linda nodded and deflated back on her chair. Daniel sighed, opting not to correct her. It was a plausible concern, even if her delivery was as blunt as a hammer. He would need to talk with her later about that one-on-one.


    “Well, what are your dreams, Valerie?”


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    “I will surpass my grandfather.” She said with conviction, not an ounce of doubt of her goal. It reminded him a lot of Natalie, one of his colleagues from Gravelport. ‘Huh, maybe she’s one of her ancestors.’


    “An ambitious goal to have in mind.” Daniel nodded.


    The girl nodded and returned to her wings. Now that he noticed, she was using cutlery to cut the meat off the bone before eating in small bites. ‘More power to you, I guess.’ He inwardly laughed and looked at the remaining boys.


    Kiran still looked miffed from his ‘scuffle’ with Amelia, but at least he stopped glaring at the girl. Thomas had his full focus on a small dot on the ground. Daniel imagined he was too nervous to talk, so he didn’t pressure him. Nate glanced at them and shrugged.


    “I want to become Champion,” he said, his voice steady and his smile filled with resolve. “I want to protect the weak and ensure that no Pokemon is ever abused or taken advantage of.”


    “A very noble cause.” Daniel nodded and ruffled the boy’s hair. “And a high peak.”


    He had read his file again before their class. The boy was destined to replace Iris after the first world tournament in three years. The mounting pressure of the position and the lack of representation in the top 4 got to her in the original timeline. At least publicly, nobody knew for sure what exactly happened to her. ''A mystery for another time.''


    The theory seemed plausible. She was constantly running around putting out fires, maintaining her image, and making sure that nothing catastrophic happened to their region. He was impressed with her resilience, even more so after considering that she didn’t have modern conveniences to help her.


    “I…” A quiet voice pulled him from his thoughts. “I want to be a doctor.”


    “Doctor…” Daniel hummed, looking at Thomas shrinking back into himself. “Are you considering a doctor? Or more towards search and rescue?”


    “E-eh?” The boy looked up again with a stunned expression.


    “Well, fully fledged doctors are off combat completely and work inside a Pokemon center, like our family members.” Daniel scratched his own head, pulling their attention to his pink hair. “Or joining the rangers and protecting people and Pokemon on the field?”


    “I…” His hands were shaking and his forehead was drenched in sweat. His breathing became a little erratic and his vision grew unfocused. “I…”


    Daniel’s training immediately kicked in. With a quiet flare of his aura, he reached out to the boy. He subtly prompted him to take deeper breaths, relax his hands, and blink. Drawing on his Fairy aura, he crafted subtle sensations, shifting through different smells and sounds until he found the perfect combination to calm the boy.


    A sensation of being inside a forest, surrounded by tall trees after a storm surrounded Thomas. The air was thick with the scent of damp earth and pine. Raindrops lingered on the leaves, creating a soft, calming rhythm. The ground was cool and mossy underfoot. He could smell the earthy soil and sweet wildflowers.


    “Better?” Daniel’s voice brought the boy back to reality.


    Daniel moved the other teens to the side and was kneeling in front of the boy. His eyes glistened with pink energy as he stared back at him, serene like the scene he imagined. After a moment, he nodded.


    “Great.” Daniel patted his head with a smile and returned to his seat. “If you ever feel like that again, you can take a break. I won’t judge you.”


    “Thanks, Mr. Daniel…” Thomas whispered back, avoiding the other teen’s stares.


    The rest of the meal was a bit dimmer. Daniel didn’t expect his first class to be a complete rollercoaster of emotions, but there was nothing he could do about it. His files left a lot of information about their personalities, but nothing seemed too egregious.


    His main worries were Kiran and Valerie. Sure, the boy had a softer side, but he was a bit too belligerent for him. Valerie’s problem was in a similar vein. She felt like a sheltered girl taking her first steps into the world, not used to people being hurt by her words. To top it all off, Daniel felt she had a fundamental disconnection between herself and her team.


    Her Drilbur was well-fed and trained. From what he saw in action, she was already able to command strategies instead of individual moves. However, he felt she would struggle with the spiritual side of their curriculum more than others.


    After finishing their meals and eating some ice cream for dessert, the group made their way to the hotel where the newcomers would stay for a month. It wasn’t the prestigious, 5-star Radiance Resort, but it would be comfortable enough. Each room was big enough to be a small, single-family apartment in the future.


    By midday, the small group arrived at Musharna Dreamhaven Hotel, a sleek, modern building with a mostly white facade. A turned-off neon sign in pastel lavender and pink proudly adorned the front. Snow gently covered the roof and surrounding grounds, while inside, the decor shifted to earthy tones, forgoing the pinks and pastels he was accustomed to seeing in the Joy community.


    That left Daniel, Kiran, Thomas, and Linda for the trek back to the compound. Thomas appeared better after washing his face and profusely apologizing to the others. Linda, however, still seemed a bit down from Valerie’s words. Daniel was relieved that Kiran appeared to be doing fine, though a little quieter than usual.


    Each member of their small group said their goodbyes one by one. Except for the brooding teenager.


    “Kiran, I need to talk to you,” Daniel said before he could walk away.


    The boy silently glared at him but said nothing.


    “Sorry for what I said during the exercise.” Daniel sighed, lowering his head. “It wasn’t my intention to put you in the spot like that.”


    Kiran huffed and crossed his arms. “Yeah, apology accepted.”


    “It won’t happen again, I promise.” He lifted his hands in defeat. “It’s just… Sunny was bragging a lot about you.”


    “Did Sunny… really speak to you?” Kiran shifted uncomfortably on the spot, looking at the sidewalk.


    “Yeah.” Daniel nodded with a smile. “She told me that you take care of her a lot, about the songs, the stories-”


    “S-stop!” Kiran shouted defensively, his cheeks burning a deep red.


    “The point is, I won’t do it again. But I’m happy you have such a great bond with your Pokemon.”


    “…Thanks.” He mumbled with a lot less venom than before.


    “Before I forget, what is your dream?”


    Kiran sighed heavily and shifted from side to side where he stood. After deliberating a couple of seconds, he shrugged. “I want to be a breeder.”


    Daniel was a bit shocked at his answer, but he was careful enough not to let it show on his face. He ruffled the boy’s hair, much to his protests, and smiled at him. “I know you’ll be able to do that. Now, go get inside already. It won’t do that one of my students gets sick before classes even start!”


    Kiran snorted and swatted his hand away. “Only idiots get colds in Lacunosa.” After rolling his eyes, the boy walked away.