Alder's Thoughts

That night...

Oh, Benga said that?

Yeah.

To tell you the truth, when I heard what he said...

the first thought I had was, "I don't want to lose to him."

Wanting to win is natural for a Trainer, but what I felt goes beyond that.

Even I'm confused by it.

I wonder if it's because my opponent's my own grandson.

When I first met Benga, I felt the same way.

But he was also the one who made me realize my true feelings.

Haha, that's true.

He's purer than anyone, and that's what makes him so strong.

His deep connection to his Pokémon comes from his natural talent.

I agree.

But since he's still young...

or perhaps because he's influenced by the many strong Trainers on Pasio...

right now, he's simply barreling ahead in pursuit of strength, without understanding its true meaning.

Is that why you don't want to lose to him?

Hmm. Could be.

I also used to be relentless when it came to getting stronger.

But that was only until I understood all lives have an end...and strength isn't something that remains unchanged forever.

... ... ...

Even if the joy of being with Pokémon is real...

Trainers must also understand what the Pokémon beside them truly want.

If they focus too much on strength alone and both Trainer and Pokémon lose sight of each other...

they won't know what those needs are.

Pokémon are always by our side.

But sometimes we make the mistake of taking that for granted.

Precisely.

I've always taught Benga to think about what strength truly means.

But when I saw him rushing to grow stronger, I couldn't bring myself to tell him to slow down.

Not with the power I have now.

It's difficult, isn't it.

To have righteous power and to teach others what that truly means.

Whether Benga can become the kind of Trainer who can truly walk toward the future together with Pokémon...

probably depends on what he goes through now.

True...

What do you think, Volcarona?

Oh! Hey, Gramps!

You're gonna train with me today too, right?

What? You're gonna do more?

We just battled. Shouldn't you take a break?

No way!

I need to do more for Arceus to accept me!

Right, Volcarona?

Benga...

Sometimes it's important to train hard and push yourself.

Yeah!

But looking at you now...

It seems you've lost sight of the true meaning of it.