"Cheers!"
Outside Forest Flavor Restaurant, in a gathering area woven from all kinds of vines, Ye Lan raised his glass and clinked it with the Grass-type Pokémon, celebrating the success of their "Dating Operation" plan.
Erika and her Pokémon shared an equally deep bond, especially Gloom. The story behind that could easily fill two whole chapters...
Although they loved the Pokémon food Ye Lan made, they would not all abandon Erika's feelings and safety just to rush over to Ye Lan's restaurant.
All of this had been carefully arranged by Ye Lan, solely to create an opportunity for Mentor Cheren and Leader Erika to be alone together.
As for how he knew Cheren liked Erika, that had to do with Gloom, who understood everything perfectly well.
In truth, most of the Pokémon could sense that Cheren had feelings for Erika. It was just that Erika had devoted herself to the art of flowers, and as the foremost Gym Leader of the Kanto Pokémon League, she had always carried the burden of leading Kanto's Gym Trainers and becoming Kanto's Grass-type Elite Four member on her own shoulders. She had never thought about anything else.
But Ye Lan's appearance had shown this etiquette-conscious, gentle yet stubborn Gym Leader more possibilities, allowing her to relax considerably.
As the most battle-suited Grass-type psychic of this generation, Ye Lan might achieve the goals she sought at an even faster pace—or perhaps even surpass them?
The art of flowers was meant to calm the mind. As a master of it, Erika did not enjoy fighting either. Yet as the person currently at the forefront among Grass-type Trainers, she had to do something. Otherwise, Grass-type Trainers would truly fade into obscurity.
In the Kanto Region, many new Trainers chose a Grass-type starter to begin their journeys because