The sky was clear and blue, the sun blazing overhead.
Spring had come again, and the winds of new beginnings swept across the land.
New trainers joyfully welcomed their first Pokémon and set out on journeys with their partners.
Stories both sweet and bitter were about to unfold.
Not long ago.
In Pyrite Town, in southern Orre.
Flobo, the town's new mayor, had witnessed the arrival of a new generation of trainers.
The Pokémon League still had much to build, and neither the Elite Four nor the Gym Leaders had been appointed. But it had to cultivate promising talent.
Who could say Pyrite Town wouldn't produce another Champion Baimu?
Likewise, Silicon Beryllium City, Gateon Port, Battle Town, and Realgar City had all gained groups of boys and girls who dreamed of becoming Champion and swore they would reach the top.
The drop in outside visitors did nothing to stop Orre from finding its footing.
Shan Ren, chairman of the Pokémon League, looked out over the oasis city of Silicon Beryllium City, his heart swelling with ambition.
There was just one thing that soured his mood...
The Champion had run off.
He'd known Baimu could never sit still. Sooner or later, the guy was bound to go roaming, just like that stone-digging rich boy from Hoenn.
But it still annoyed him.
What kind of Champion stayed home for only a month after winning the title?
Worse, Baimu had a perfectly good reason.
"I'm going to learn how to run a Pokémon School, then come back and open one for us!"
Naranja Academy in the Paldea Region had a long history. There was nothing wrong with learning from it.
But you're the Champion!
Did he even know what being Champion meant?
Only after Baimu told him he'd slipped away did Shan Ren