As I walked out of the tunnel, the sky was completely dark.
Upon entering Suiyi Town, I could see from afar that the area around the Dojo was brightly lit, with construction teams working tirelessly day and night. The completion of the Dojo was truly in its final stages.
Natsuhiko arrived at the Poke Center.
He greeted Joy Rhombus, who he had become quite familiar with, and handed her the Pokeball containing Chimchar.
From her, he learned
that recently, the flow of people in Suiyi Town had noticeably increased.
It was not only because spring had arrived and many farms had resumed breeding livestock, but also because many Trainers, having heard rumors about Natsuhiko opening a Dojo, came to see what kind of place the "Lily Youth Competition" runner-up had established.
Overall, Joy Rhombus had mostly heard expressions of surprise and admiration, with very few questioning remarks.
The reputation Natsuhiko had gained from the "Lily Youth Competition" still held influence.
However, if there were no substantial achievements in a while, it could slowly fade from people's horizons.
Thus,
Joy Rhombus suggested...
"If you want to maintain the Dojo's fame and attract more people to challenge it while slowly developing Suiyi Town, I think you need to be more high-profile—or the higher, the better."
Natsuhiko raised an eyebrow as he accepted the Pokeball.
"You know about this too?"
"I learned it from life," Joy Rhombus shrugged casually.
Other than her appearance and nurse uniform, she was nothing like a typical Miss Joy, neither in personality nor in behavior.
"It seems there's quite a bit of competition in big families," Natsuhiko remarked casually.
Joy Rhombus gave a knowing look.
"By the way, at the competition earlier, was the Chansey strategy that Oak Nanami used really developed by you?" Joy Rhombus suddenly asked.
"Why? Do you want to learn? I can teach you."
Natsuhiko had been in Suiyi Town for quite some time, and as the head of the Dojo, he often had to interact with Joy at the Poke Center, an important facility.
Moreover, they already knew each other.
So Natsuhiko's appraisal of Joy Rhombus was: the least Joy-like of all Miss Joys.
"Sure!" Joy Rhombus' eyes lit up.
She was very interested in battles and Pokémon breeding but had no desire whatsoever to be a Joy at a Poke Center.
If not for her family's arrangement...
The person she admired the most was her cousin in the Joy Race, who was serving as an Investigator in the Investigation Department.
"When the Dojo opens, come find me."
Natsuhiko headed for the door.
"Alright, you said it!"
Waving, Natsuhiko disappeared at the Poke Center's entrance.
Walking along the path under the moonlight,
Natsuhiko pondered some issues.
"Is it necessary to recruit a batch of apprentices? Not only could they help with tasks, but importantly, I wouldn't have to pay them."
Dojo apprentices.
This was a choice almost every Dojo made to cut costs.
The pretext: as long as one worked hard enough and was noticed, there was a chance to become an exceptional Trainer, or even succeed the Dojo.
But most people ended up slowly being eliminated, leaving with just one or two ordinary Pokémon.
Yet still, many families, relatively average ones, would go to great lengths to send their children to the Dojo.
The reason being,
to seize the opportunity to stand out.
"Let's hold off for now, there's no Pokémon to allocate to these apprentices,"
Natsuhiko shook his head, temporarily shelving the idea.
Coming from the bottom himself, he deeply understood the mindset of those at the bottom.
So if he promised to provide opportunities, he certainly would.
But as he struggled to sustain himself, he decided not to trouble others for the time being.
If it were a Trainer already taking shape, then perhaps.
But would poaching from the Joy Clan's talent pool be going too far?
"Better to think about how to properly organize the Dojo's opening ceremony. This time, I must host a grand opening..."
Natsuhiko took out his phone and started contacting people.
Just like Joy Rhombus said, be more high-profile!
Still undetermined about being high-profile afterwards.
But for the Dojo's debut, it must make a mark.
Natsuhiko was about to mobilize his network for the first time.
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PS: This volume has concluded! Summary coming soon~~
Another day nearing 12,000 words, please vote!