Trainer.
A dream shared by almost every child in this world.
Many people dream of becoming Trainers from a young age, yet only a tiny fraction ever succeed.
The first obstacle is always money.
After all, not every family is wealthy.
While some civilian Trainers manage to support themselves, most of them remain stuck at the middle or lower levels.
Very few can truly reach the top.
Still, even without standing at the peak, many people are already satisfied.
For the sake of becoming a Trainer, countless people are willing to endure hardship.
Some even live in poverty, scraping by day after day, all for the chance to raise powerful Pokémon.
The initial investment is enormous—but if it succeeds, the returns are just as massive.
Naturally, the children of the orphanage dreamed of becoming Trainers as well.
If Su Yu had money… did that mean they could become Trainers too?
For a moment, every child looked at him.
Su Yu smiled when he saw their expressions.
"Ajie," he asked gently,"Are you sure you want to be a Trainer?"
The thin boy standing there was named Ajie—a clever child with sharp eyes.
Su Yu hadn't expected such a question from him.
Train all of them to become Trainers…?
He hadn't really thought that far.
Still, if they wanted it, Su Yu wouldn't mind helping.
But to his surprise, Ajie shook his head firmly.
"No!"
"I don't want to."
"I want to make money!!"
"Lots and lots of money!!"
"But Brother Xiaohu and the others want to be Trainers."
"That's why I asked."
His gaze was unwavering.
To him, money was the real path forward.
Su Yu stared at his serious, money-obsessed expression and felt completely dumbfounded.
"Well then," Su Yu sighed with a smile.
"If any of you want to be Trainers…"
"When I have enough money, I can help."
"But becoming a Trainer isn't that simple."
"You'll need to study hard."
"If you can pass the certification exams…"
"I'll prepare Pokémon and resources for you."
"So don't worry."
With just a few words, Su Yu made them a promise.
The moment he finished speaking, the room exploded with excitement.
"Awesome!!"
"Long live Brother Su Yu!"
"Su Yu Gege is amazing—can you buy me ice cream?"
…
Hearing the words of the four-year-old little girl, Su Yu instantly fell silent.
Sure enough, for young kids, food always came first.
Even Su Yu couldn't help laughing.
Meanwhile, the more mature kids like Xiaoqing and Xiaohu quietly made up their minds.
They were going to become Trainers.
Starting today.
They trusted Su Yu completely.
After all, he had never lied to them.
Watching their excited faces, Su Yu smiled softly.
If I don't become a Trainer myself… maybe raising a group of Trainers wouldn't be bad either.
The thought made him strangely happy.
Of course, this was something for the distant future.
They were still young.
Perhaps when they reached middle school, he could start preparing Pokémon for them.
Register them under his name.
Let the kids take care of them.
And once they earned their Trainer certificates, officially hand them over.
Maybe by then…
They'd already have the strength of Elites—or even Champions.
After all, plenty of people followed that path.
Thinking about it, Su Yu couldn't help but curl his lips into a faint smile.
…
He didn't dwell on the topic.
It was still too far away.
Talking too much now would only be empty promises.
What mattered was earning money first.
The oven beeped softly.
The first batch of Energy Cubes was ready.
Su Yu removed them and set them aside to cool.
Once cooled, they were steamed for five minutes.
Then the next batch followed.
Before long, the first Thunder-type Energy Cubes were complete.
When the finished product appeared, everyone's eyes widened.
The cubes were soft and jelly-like.
Smooth. Elastic. Glossy.
They looked amazing.
"These look different from the ones Grandpa Director used to make."
"They're prettier!"
"Brother Su Yu, are these advanced Energy Cubes?" Xiaoqing asked curiously, poking one.
Su Yu shook his head.
"Not quite."
"These are intermediate Energy Cubes."
"We're just using the traditional method."
"And a better formula—that's why they look like this."
"Alright, take them out first."
"Clean the molds and prepare the next batch."
"And Pichu—come here and try one."
After giving instructions, Su Yu returned to work.
The cubes crackled faintly with electric energy, glowing like tiny bolts of lightning.
Designed specifically for Electric-type Pokémon.
Pichu should like them.
The moment it heard Su Yu's call, Pichu rushed over.
Without hesitation, it grabbed a cube and stuffed it into its mouth.
"Zzz—!"
Electric sparks danced across its cheeks.
(^▽^)
"Pichu~~!"
Delicious!
It devoured the first one, then immediately grabbed another.
Seeing this, Su Yu nodded in satisfaction.
"Nice—you like it."
"No problems then."
"Xiaoqing, get the sealed bags."
"Pack them up."
"I'll keep making the next batches."
Xiaoqing nodded eagerly.
These weren't just Energy Cubes.
They were money.
And money meant better food, a better future—and Trainers.
She ran off immediately.
"Sister, wait!"
"I'm coming too!"
A little four-year-old girl chased after her.
Behind them, Pichu kept eating.
After four or five cubes, though…
It finally stopped.
Too full.
Absolutely stuffed.