A Run-In from Paldea

Crasher Wake is the coolest! Go, master!

Nu-uh! The Masked Royal's definitely cooler!

Oh boy, here we go again. A heated debate from the audience...

So, Penny! Who do you think's cooler?

It's gotta be master, right?

Huh? Um, well...

Stop this match at once!

Wh-what?!

A run-in?!

Huh? Wait, that's...

Eri?!

RAAAAAAAAAH!!!

WHAAAAT?!

What a powerful move!

Hey! That there! That was a good move!

You mind telling us your name?

I'm...Eri!

I'm a Trainer from Paldea, and I love pro wrestling!

Excellent! Welcome to Pasio!

Let's give a warm welcome to our new friend, Eri!

I wasn't expecting you to crash the show, Eri.

We actually invited her to join our match.

During a battle earlier, we noticed her talent immediately.

She has incredible potential as a wrestler.

And a real passion for it, too! We could sense her burning spirit!

That's why we asked her to bring some extra energy to our match!

I'm always happy to help!

Plus, I'd love to learn more from you, from your perspectives as wrestlers AND as people with such amazing life experiences!

Wow, you're really going for it, Eri...

Oh, by the way! I didn't know you were interested in pro wrestling, Penny!

If you want to learn more, I can teach you some things!

Um... Well, I wouldn't say I'm a fan of pro wrestling specifically.

I just came to watch because it reminds me of a superhero show.

Yeah, Penny's a huge hero fan!

She talks about them all the time!

It's true. Hehe...

Happy to see you've made new friends, Penny!

You seem to be enjoying life on Pasio!

Um, well, I guess... I'd say it's not too bad.

Oh, but there is a problem I want to solve.

Penny and the others told Eri about their plan to establish Pasio Academy.

So, that's our situation.

A school on Pasio, huh!

Sounds like a great idea. What's the problem?

Well, some people aren't as excited about it as we expected.

They're saying things like, "Do we really need a school on Pasio?" and "I don't wanna study."

Well, I suppose not everyone has fond memories of learning.

What should we do if no one wants to join and we have no students?

I guess we've no choice but to keep reaching out to people!

I see. So this is the problem you were talking about.

OK! I'll help you out!

I'll reach out to a bunch of people and hype them up about our new school!

The next day...

Eri was once again participating in a match.

Thanks to everyone's support, we had a great match today!

Before we wrap up, Eri has something she wants to share!

Thank you!

Do you all know about the school that's going to be built on Pasio?

Pasio is already an amazing place where sync pairs can connect and interact.

But imagine how much more exciting it'd be if we had a school!

We could make more friends and learn so much!

So, I just wanted to say, let's all come together to make this school happen!

A school, huh...

I wonder how it'll turn out.

That's up to us!

Pasio Academy will be built by everyone on Pasio working together!

Um, Professor... Is your Incineroar OK?

We hit him with a pretty strong move yesterday, so...

Incineroar? Yesterday?

Aaah! Waah!

A-are you asking about the Masked Royal's Incineroar?

Huh? Y-yeah. I was worried, so I came to ask you...

Oh, OH, BECAUSE...

I heard the Masked Royal asked YOU to look after his Incineroar... Ahaha!

Ah, I see! That explains it!

Phew.

Aaanyway, I overheard you talking about the new school...

Hey, about that new school they're planning to build on Pasio...

Oh! They're talking about it, too!

Sounds like it's on everyone's mind!

Honestly, I don't really care if they build one.

I mean, if people want to attend, no one's stopping them.

Yeah... I'm not really that smart.

And I'm worried no one'll wanna hang out with me if I can't keep up in class.

It must be nice to not have to worry about stuff like that.

Oh, like the person who was all like, "Let's all go to school," right?

Yeah. Easy for HER to say...

She probably doesn't even know what it's like to be weak. I bet she's always been fawned over for being so strong...

...Is that really how I come across?

... ... ...

... ... ...

It's not safe to lose focus when you're training, you know!

Oh, hi, Professor Kukui...

Is that Pasio Academy on your mind?

Yeah...

I've been trying to figure out how to get everyone on board with it.

Hmm. I don't think there's an easy solution.

When you start something new, it's normal to encounter obstacles.

Have you had a similar experience, Professor Kukui?

Yeah, I faced some struggles when I established the Pokémon League in Alola.

I love the Alola region, and I always wanted to see it produce a world-class Champion.

So I had to start from the ground up. It wasn't easy.

I even went to the Pokémon League in Kanto to soak up all the knowledge I could.

I thought about how I could weave Alolan traditions into things, and all kinds of ideas came to mind...

I see. And after all that effort, you finally made it happen.

Thanks so much for sharing! I won't hold back anymore. I know exactly what I need to do!

You sure you're OK, Eri?

I don't know what you took from all that, or what you're planning...

but please tell me you're not thinking of making a martyr of yourself.

...Of course not.

(But it's the only way I can think of to bring everyone together!)

So, what do you wanna talk about, Eri?

It's about the school, right?

Yeah! I've made up my mind and want to share my idea with you two.

So, I'm thinking that if we want everyone to come together on this, we need a strong motivator!

Like anger!

Anger?

Remember how it motivated us before?

Our anger about all the bullying is what brought Team Star together.

So, that's why I think I should play the villain!

What do you mean, "villain"?

Like a heel in pro wrestling. There's always gotta be a bad guy to take down, right?

Let me think... Oh, maybe I could pretend to be a really mean honor student.

Everyone will want to come to school just to show me up!

Eri, that's...

Everyone's working tirelessly to set up the school, so it's no big deal...

No! You can't do that!

Penny?

I don't want my friend to be misunderstood and hated!

Even if you're OK with that, I'm NOT!

Yeah, I don't like it, either.

You don't need to shoulder all the burden, Eri.

Besides, have you forgotten what happened when we all acted out of anger?

We don't want to put the Pasio Academy students through the same ordeal we went through as Team Star.

You're both right. I'm sorry.

I guess I was letting myself run wild, huh.

It's OK! As long as you understand!

Let's think of a better idea together!

Y-yup! Let's do that!

So I think our explanation needs to be a bit more specific.

We should mention things like why we need a school and how it can be fun.

I agree!

It's better to be sincere than to pull tricks, right?

Be fair and honorable, like a good Pokémon battle!

Just like how you battle, Eri!

Yup, and it suits you better.

You're right!

Let's be open and honest with everyone about how we feel!

A few days later...

We've got you cornered! The next hit will end this!

We're not done just yet!

...And it's now time for a quiz!

Huh?

Pokémon attack moves can be divided into two categories!

What are they?

Huh? Umm...physical and special?

Correct! And to share a bit of advice: it's important to make your strong points stronger... that goes for both people and Pokémon!

And Annihilape is good at...

Physical moves, it can imbue its fists with power!

Oh, shoot!

Hahaha! You've still a long way to go if you let someone make a comeback like that!

That last blow shows how well you bring out your partner's strength! Well done, Eri!

Is that the result of your daily training?

...Or did you learn it through battling?

Actually, the reason I was able to get out of that pinch...

was my knowledge gained at Paldea's academy!

So it's all thanks to school, huh?

Exactly! I learned so much there with my friends... while having a great time together!

... ... ...

But actually, I only started going back to school very recently.

I refused to go for a while.

All because I was being bullied at that academy.

Huh? Bullied? Even though she's so strong?

But I overcame the bullying with the help of my friends.

I know school isn't always fun. At the time, I was so sad and frustrated.

I faced many difficulties.

But looking back, I can confidently say I'm glad I went!

If you just want to study, then maybe you don't really need school.

But school provides a space where you can learn and grow alongside others.

You'll have fun times, treasured moments, challenges, and setbacks...

Your precious time at school can lead to so many good things!

Yeah, that's right, Eri.

We're who we are today because of our time at school.

I had once-in-a-lifetime experiences, and met friends who helped me when I was in trouble.

Those are the "treasures" I gained from the academy!

I want Pasio Academy to be that for others!

In fact, I'll make sure it is!

Let's create a school together from scratch, and make it a place everyone will enjoy!

A place where you can learn from both good and bad...

I guess there are things we'll never know until we go.

Treasures, huh...

(Eri... Your words resonate with me, too!)

A few days later...

I'd like a place in the school where students and Pokémon can go totally wild.

Somewhere that's spacious, like a gymnasium or a field!

I think we can manage that.

Thank you!

All right, then! Let's head off to our training!

It may only be a few at a time, but this school is gaining supporters.

That's largely due to Eri and the others proactively reaching out to everyone.

A school founded by the students themselves will definitely be a wonderful place.

I look forward to its opening.