CHAPTER 25
The rest of the morning and afternoon passed without incident.
Dozens of applicants were met and all rejected for various reasons. I Teleported back for lunch and came right back after making sure the Professors hadn't set fire to our backyard yet. It was only day one of the hiring process, and I felt like I was going to go insane already. Perhaps I had bit off more than I could chew by agreeing to meet so many people, but I wanted to evaluate people in person to make sure I didn't miss out on surprisingly suitable candidates.
Eventually, 6 PM rolled around. I sat at my desk with an expectant expression as I waited patiently for the last applicant of the day. A familiar boy with dark purple hair emerged from between the trees and marched up to me confidently. Souta didn't even seem surprised by the strange setup I had going on or the appearance of Silque in the corner. In fact, he even offered her a brief smile before sitting down.
"Good evening, Mr. Souta Ishimoto," I greeted. As this was an interview, I planned on treating him just like all the other applicants. "Thank you for coming here today."
"Thank you for having me," Souta replied in kind, bowing his head slightly in respect. We shook hands briefly.
With pleasantries out of the way, it was time to get this interview started for real. I had to admit, this was the one I'd been looking forward to the most today. I had certain expectations in place at this point given how much I already knew about Neil's son and what I'd read about on Souta's own application.
And boy, Souta did not disappoint me.
"On your application, you wrote that your previous internship at the Kujimata Day Care on Route 34 greatly impacted you as a trainer. May I ask you to elaborate on how exactly it did so?"
"While working at the Day Care, I was exposed to many different kinds of Pokemon from all four regions of the Kinjoh Area. Each possessed their own personality and characteristics known to their species, and some trainers even left very specific instructions on how they wanted their Pokemon to be treated," Souta explained with a smile. "I learned how to handle these Pokemon and their unique temperaments in a short amount of time. I believe that these skills will be invaluable at the Cherrygrove Gym…"
Out of all the applicants I had met today — including Yurie — Souta was by far the best speaker and the most prepared. Our conversation flowed naturally from one inquiry to the next. He maintained steady eye contact while speaking and gesturing with his hands, and he always gave clear, concise answers. He even looked pretty relaxed through the whole thing.
It was obvious he had put in lots of work to impress me today and get the job. With how Souta was doing so far, the odds of me hiring him were looking pretty good.
And I was meant to understand that the Blackthorn Trainer Academy had passed up on recruiting this kind of talented teenager? It was shocking, really.
About thirty-five minutes into the interview, I set down the folder with Souta's information on the table and leaned back in my chair. I had saved a question I normally asked near the beginning for the end.
"Why do you want to work at the Cherrygrove Gym?" I asked.
Something in Souta's eyes shifted. His already perfect posture straightened further as he stared at me, and he looked even more alive than he had for the entire interview so far.
"I view this opportunity to work at the Cherrygrove Gym as a way for me to contribute to broadening not just my own horizons, but Kanto-Johto's as well," Souta replied confidently. I remained quiet as he continued. "The Fairy type only became known and verified within the last year in the Kinjoh Area. With such a recent emergence and heavy shift in the existing type classifications, there are many people who are reluctant to embrace the change or have trouble understanding what Fairies are. I wish to serve at the Gym and act as a bridge between these people and the new type. I want to spread awareness of Fairies so that people can make their own informed opinions about them, and I believe I possess the knowledge and skills to succeed as a Cherrygrove gym trainer and help do so."
Every word he spoke was one full of sincerity and determination. This… this was part of Souta's new dream and what he wanted to achieve now. There wasn't any trace of that despairing boy who'd felt crushed by failure.
Souta was already looking ahead to the future.
By the time the last word left his lips, I had long been smiling to myself in approval. It was the most thoughtful — and ambitious — answer I'd heard all day.
"I see. Then, this concludes the first part of the interview," I said, still smiling. "We will move onto the battle portion now."
I explained the rules to Souta before we went outside. Just like with Yurie and all other applicants who'd made it this far, we would be doing a short one-on-one Pokemon battle. Souta still looked confident as he sent out his Pokemon.
I smiled when I saw who he'd picked. Snubbull. The tiny Pokemon growled cutely, but I knew better than to underestimate her innocent appearance. According to what Souta had indicated on his application, Snubbull was slightly lagging behind the strength of his other Pokemon by about one badge level. I'd use one of the second-badge gym Pokemon I'd brought with me then.
Out popped Marill from her Pokeball. Souta studied the mouse with a thoughtful expression, but not for long. Orders quickly flew from both our mouths.
"Aqua Jet!"
"Roar!"
Sound waves blasted outwards from Snubbull's mouth. Marill, who had blitzed forward in a massive column of water at my command, actually got pushed off course and flew past Snubbull's face into the barrier. Souta jumped on the opportunity.
"Thunder Fang!"
She was very slow, but Snubbull charged at her opponent. Marill had just stumbled back around when jaws crackling with electricity latched around her body, and she screeched loudly.
"Tail!" I ordered.
Water exploded from a small but bouncy tail as it whipped forward, smacking Snubbull right off Marill and clean across the field from the impact. I ordered Marill to hit the downed Fairy type using Aqua Jet. With fur still smoking from the earlier shock, she moved to wrap herself in water—
"SNUBBULL!" Souta yelled meaningfully.
And Marill promptly froze in place, looking horrified. High-pitched wails echoed in the clearing as Snubbull cried loudly. Short arms flailed around in the air from the Pokemon's pain and distress.
"She's faking it, Marill! Bubble Beam!" I called urgently. I knew right away what was going on because my own Pokemon had done similar strategies in the past, but Marill did not. She was too distracted by the pitiful sight to realize her senses had been fooled by the Dark type energy woven into Snubbull's voice.
"Now! Mimic!" Souta yelled, clenching a fist. Snubbull's body glowed. In an instant, she dropped her convincing Fake Tears act and sped through the air with the Aqua Jet she'd copied. It didn't hurt very much when she slammed into Marill, but it was the momentum Souta had been going for to quickly put Snubbull back in range of my Pokemon. Once again, Snubbull bit down hard with arcs of electricity lancing off her jaws.
I let the battle go on a little longer. Once I'd observed enough, I ended things before either Pokemon got too hurt.
"May I ask for your thoughts on how I did?" was the first thing Souta asked when he came up to me after the match.
I smiled, nodding. The desire for and willingness to accept feedback was a trait any good or aspiring trainer should have and definitely what I wanted to see from potential gym trainers. To my amusement, Souta whipped out a pen and small writing pad from his pocket to jot down notes.
"Your Snubbull has a solid grasp on her basic moves, and the teamwork you showed was praiseworthy. I especially enjoyed how you employed Fake Tears. By not outright yelling the move's name as your command, you caught Marill unawares," I said, making sure to speak slowly enough that Souta could copy things down.
"As for things you could improve… For your Snubbull, I'd recommend incorporating more running exercises in your training routine. In our match, she started having trouble after I had Marill keep away and attack from afar. Mimic can help, but you either need to teach her some long-range moves or improve her physical abilities so she can run and get into range of her opponents on her own. For you personally, towards the end, I noticed you tended to wait for me to yell out commands before reacting with your own. Try to avoid doing so in the future as you'll end up falling into your opponent's pace. Don't be afraid to take the initiative."
The small advice-giving session ended there. I waited until Souta had finished writing what he wanted before speaking again.
"Before we end the interview, do you have any questions?" I asked.
"Yes, may I ask how…"
After answering a few questions from Souta, I let him know to expect a decision from me by the end of the day. He gave me one last handshake before walking off.
I was done interviewing applicants for the day, and I was mentally exhausted.
There was a lot to think about.
Peri helped seal the cube shut for the night by adding a huge slab of rock over the front. I had decided I'd just be using this setup for the next couple of days in case of any other… suspicious interviewees. Then I went back home.
I found very distraught Professors upon my return and four different voices clamoring over each other in my face.
"Arin! Please help, I was playing with the Cottonee—"
"You shouldn't have said you envied their fluffiness—"
"—look at us, we're covered in sticky cotton!"
"I mean… it's not all that bad? Maybe?"
I stared at the four Professors. Their aides, who were standing behind them, had gotten off much more lightly than their bosses had. The Professors were covered head to toe with fluff as Cottonee floated around their heads. The little pranksters cried out apologies but couldn't hold back giggles.
Honestly, I almost couldn't either as I smiled wryly.
"…Let's get you all cleaned up."
After I got that sorted out and ate dinner, I finally got to sit down in my room and think.
I was hopefully done with Blackthorn spies. Just in case I'd missed anyone, I'd have Silque stick around for the next couple of days as I interviewed people. On the one hand, I was very flattered that the Blackthorns deemed me enough of a threat that they attempted such a trick, but on the other hand I just found it plain annoying.
My sights were set on the next League Circuit.
I planned on making the Cherrygrove Gym the best it could be. For a moment, I fantasized about the look Clair and her Clan members would have when I surpassed the Blackthorn Gym in popularity and reputation. Not if.
Invigorated by hopes of the future, I started up my laptop to begin work. I needed to look through more applications, but first… I reviewed the notes and rating sheets I'd written earlier in the day. I sent out courtesy rejection emails to applicants who had ultimately not passed, but I did send some acceptance emails with a smile.
Just two. They went to the very first people to be hired on as Cherrygrove gym trainers.
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Yurie bit her nails a bit as she paced back and forth in her hotel room. She was far away from Blackthorn City, yet she couldn't help but feel anxious. The Clan wouldn't send someone after her, right? Maybe to yell at her or beat her up in a Pokemon battle? This was real life and not a movie, but weren't those still within the realm of possibilities?
She'd basically betrayed them.
The Blackthorn Clan was the oldest and most powerful Clan in Johto. It wasn't easy to enter their ranks even as a trainee. Luckily, she had only been a trainee, so she hadn't yet taken an oath to join the Clan as an official member. If she had, well—
Them chasing her down would definitely not be off the table and be the least of her worries.
She'd probably be blacklisted by the Blackthorns, but that was a small price to pay. Honestly, even if Yurie could go back in time, she would make the same choice again and quit. She really hadn't been able to stand being there anymore. The Blackthorns were simply so oppressive that trying to learn from them just wasn't worth it. She and her team were better off in a happier, less restrictive environment and under the guidance of someone like—
Yurie paused when her phone vibrated. She pulled it out of her pocket and stared at the screen. When she saw she had an email from Arin, she immediately clicked on it with wide eyes.
She read the first few lines of the message and threw her arms up with a loud yell.
"HELL YEAH!"
Yes, under the guidance of someone respectable like Arin Watanuki.
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Souta bounced one leg and down uncontrollably.
It had been a couple hours since his interview. Arceus, was he glad he'd run through mock ones in advance with his mom. The real thing had been terrifying. He'd never been more nervous yet confident about something in his whole meager life of sixteen years. It was like his brain had gone on autopilot while he talked… at least he hadn't messed up. From his point of view, it had been a perfect interview from start to end.
He was still worried.
This was a highly competitive job he was trying to get. He'd scoured through online forums and social media platforms, and there were tons of people who had claimed they applied. Souta knew there would be applicants better than him with more gym badges or training experience under their belts. For now, he focused on himself.
His eyes were glued to his computer screen. Every few minutes or so, Souta refreshed his email. He didn't have to considering he'd hear a notification from his phone, but he did it anyway to try and settle his nerves—
Ding.
Annnnd his nerves caught on fire when he heard the telltale sound alert he'd designated just for messages from Arin or the Cherrygrove Gym.
Souta immediately clutched his mouse like a lifeline and clicked the refresh button.
There it was, a new email from the Cherrygrove Gym. Souta's heart felt like it was beating a million miles an hour as he opened the email and read it.
Ten seconds later, he'd dashed downstairs and all but charged into the living room like a raging Tauros. Both his mom and dad were startled enough that they almost dropped their drinks. They'd been in the middle of watching a movie.
Souta took a deep breath.
"I'm a gym trainer of the Cherrygrove Gym now," he announced proudly.
His parents stared at him for a moment, then—
"ATTABOY! That's my talented son for you!" Neil yelled excitedly.
He jumped up from the couch and ran over, pulling Souta into one of his signature bear hugs. Souta normally would have complained, but he felt too happy today and just hugged his dad right back. His mom offered her own congratulatory remarks and rushed to the kitchen to whip up late night snacks for the family.
The smile Souta had on his face was huge.
He finally felt like everything was right in the world.
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Friday, April 7th. 10:19 PM. Dragon Shrine, Dragon's Den. Blackthorn City, Johto.
"Every single spy failed…"
"What should we do now?"
It was just the Elders tonight. Clair and Lance would have normally joined them due to their statuses within the Clan, but they were both absent. Clair was growing incredibly busy with gym duties now that the Johto League Circuit had less than one month left, and Lance… well, Lance had already declared his refusal to attend certain meetings.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Every time the Eldest even thought about that ungrateful brat, he ended up grinding his teeth together. They had helped raise him after what happened to his parents, yet this was how he chose to repay them.
A rebellious Lance was the least of the Clan's worries. Just today, they had a trainee defect from their ranks. Their sources all said Yurie Irazuki had applied for the Cherrygrove Gym. Another ungrateful brat. She was already blacklisted from the Clan and would be for the foreseeable future.
The Eldest forced himself to focus and turned his gaze to the people sitting around him.
"We wait," he said simply. "The Leader of the Cherrygrove Gym will be wary of us after what we attempted today. We'll wait for some time to pass and try a different plan of action."
The idea had been to have at least one or two people infiltrate the Cherrygrove Gym. Then, they could keep an eye on Arin Watanuki and even sabotage plans from the inside, but that had failed spectacularly.
It didn't matter. The Eldest's eyes glittered coldly as he leaned back in his seat.
There was always a next time.
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Saturday, April 8th. 11:22 AM. Interview Site. Watanuki Property. Cherrygrove City, Johto.
Not that I'd expected anything different, but Yurie and Souta both gave positive replies to my emails. They were now looking over contracts.
I couldn't help but smile to myself as I settled in for another day of interviews. Having two new gym trainers already was reason enough for a good mood. Today, there were a few applicants I was looking forward to.
They were Jisoo Learmall, a twenty-seven-year-old who had rotated between working for different Gym Leaders across Kanto-Johto; Maxwell Westin, a twenty-year-old trainer from Sinnoh who always got eight badges every year but failed to get past group stages in the Conference; and Asami Hachoto, an eighteen-year-old with a mix of coordinator and trainer experience interestingly enough.
I eagerly awaited the applicants.
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Cherrygrove was big.
Not as big as his hometown, of course, but still large and different enough that Haru Agawa found himself lost. Apparently it showed enough on his face that a local called out to him.
"Hey! Boy with the green hair!"
An old man manning a stall waved his hand furiously. Haru looked left and right before realizing that, oh, that meant him. He walked forward with a nervous expression. The old man smiled at him, revealing a missing tooth. "You must be from out of town. Saw you pass by here three times now. Where are you trying to go?"
Haru's ears went pink from embarrassment. Yes, he'd gone back and forth a few times in his attempts to figure out which direction was which.
"Er… I'm trying to get here," Haru said. He showed the old man a circled location displayed on his phone's map. "For an interview with Leader Arin."
"Oh!" the old man's eyes lit up at that reveal. "Aspiring gym trainer then?"
When Haru nodded, the stranger broke out into loud and cheerful laughter. "Good luck! Don't look so nervous, Arin's not going to eat you up. See that exit over there? Head out of the city and turn right, then keep going straight for about ten minutes. That'll take you to where you need to go."
"Thank you so much!" Haru didn't forget to make a deep, respectful bow to the elder before dashing off excitedly.
Thank Arceus for that helpful local, maybe he wouldn't be late after all.
Sure enough, Haru found himself at the interview site before long. He gaped at the giant cube made out of rock, and he gaped a second time when he saw a strange Pokemon he'd never seen before. What kind of species was it?
Haru would have liked to ask, but this was not the time or place for that. He reined in his nerves as he took a seat across from Arin Watanuki. They exchanged greetings before Arin glanced down at a paper. Haru's application, if he had to guess.
Holy crap. The Cherrygrove Gym Leader was so much more imposing in real life than on video. He just had this sort of… aura that radiated from him, one that anyone could interpret as belonging to a seasoned, powerful trainer.
Haru tried not to gulp when intense blue eyes flickered up to rest their gaze on him instead. He clenched his hands into fists at his sides.
He was not going to waste the plane ticket his mom had bought him.
He would pass this interview.
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I had been vastly disappointed.
The applicants I had been looking forward to ended up being marked with poor ratings. While they were all experienced trainers to some extent, each of them was rejected for various reasons. These ranged from being too full of themselves to terrible interview etiquette and beyond. None of them were particularly interested in the job and had just applied for the clout.
I now sat in front of the next applicant on a list of scheduled meetings.
Haru Agawa, a sixteen-year-old from Olivine City. He only had one Pokemon, an Azurill called Mimi that he'd hatched from an Egg a few months ago, and no badges. He hadn't gone on a journey last year due to not having the money for it.
Normally, I would not have interviewed someone who had what was essentially zero trainer experience, but it was the rest of his application that had interested me.
His resume was long. Very long and filled with things that quickly made me understand what kind of person Haru was.
From as young as ten years old, he'd taken up volunteer work and part-time jobs around Olivine. He'd done everything from cleaning beaches to painting hospital rooms for kids to being an assistant for the local trainer's academy and helping abandoned Pokemon find new homes. There were references and contacts attached to each and every listing with glowing reviews. They all stated how good Haru was with Pokemon or what a respectable, hard working boy he was.
I found myself smiling as I looked at a picture of Haru soothing an injured Growlithe. Next to him, a doctor prepared to give it a vaccine shot.
He may not have had any trainer experience, but this was a person who clearly knew how to interact with both people and Pokemon. Even if he hadn't gone on a journey, he had been slowly accumulating experience in his own way. I set down the paper I held for the time being and stared at Haru Agawa.
The interview began.
"I understand you have never attempted a League Circuit before, but I was impressed by the resume you sent in. Can you explain your skills and strengths?" I asked.
"From my time working at adoption centers and clinics, I've interacted with many different kinds of Pokemon. I've learned how to care for and respect them as our equals," Haru answered. His voice was loud, but it shook from nervousness. "I'm able to quickly adapt to a Pokemon's unique body language and understand what they want…"
Haru was definitely nervous. I think it took about ten minutes before he finally loosened up enough that the rest of the interview flowed more smoothly. I discovered that while he had no trainer experience, he had plenty of Pokemon-related knowledge he'd picked up from firsthand experience or from research he'd done on his own over the years. At one point, I gave him some sample scenarios of a gym Pokemon reacting in so-and-so manner and asked what he would do. Each time, Haru replied with a near perfect way to handle the situation.
By the time the first part drew closer to its end, I felt very pleased. I hadn't expected to find such a hidden gem. Haru was a humble teenager with a bright mind and promising future. I had no doubt that if I was to hire and teach him, he would sponge everything up in the snap of a finger.
Before we moved on, I asked one final, important question.
"Why do you want to come work at the Cherrygrove Gym?"
I waited patiently as Haru took a deep breath to settle his nerves, but I was not truly prepared for what I heard.
"I want to be a Fairy Specialist," he bravely declared. "I didn't know anything about Fairy types before the Cherrygrove Gym's promotion match, but I want to know everything about them now. I want to know their strengths and weaknesses, their unique characteristics and needs, and everything that makes a Fairy Pokemon a Fairy."
Haru looked at me with a determined expression. "I admire you, Leader Arin," he said, and his voice didn't shake this time. "I want to be a Fairy Specialist like you who can stand up to the world with his Pokemon. Instead of going on a journey, I'd like to learn from you at the Cherrygrove Gym."
I didn't need to ask Silque to know this boy had just told the truth. He wasn't sugarcoating anything or making something grandiose up to get hired. I saw it in his eyes.
He really wanted to be a Fairy Specialist, and he looked up to me.
Damn. I suddenly felt so emotional. I'd had students before at Naranja-Uva Academy who held me in high regards, but I'd never had someone tell me they wanted to follow in my footsteps and become a Fairy Specialist.
I wished the me of ten years ago could see this… that I had come far enough to inspire someone to such an extent.
Maybe I would have felt a bit braver then about stepping onto an uncertain path of my own.
For now, I didn't let how emotional I felt show. I merely gave a small, encouraging smile and nodded.
"Thank you. That was the last question I had for the first part of the interview. The next section will be a quick Pokemon battle."
We headed for the field next to the cube. I refrained from chuckling when I saw Haru following me with stiff, almost robotic movements. That was not going to cut it later if he wanted to end this interview on a good note. After I explained the rules, Haru sent out his only Pokemon.
Mimi the Azurill let out a threatening cry. At least, she tried to. It came out as a cute squeak instead. She looked a little less nervous than her trainer, but they were pretty much a mirror of each other. Looking at Haru's Azurill instantly brought up fond memories from when Zuzu was a baby. She used to chase me around everywhere with energetic little hops.
I refocused on the test at hand. During our conversation earlier, Haru had mentioned he'd only ever practiced a few moves with his Pokemon. They'd fought a few wild Pokemon before but never another trainer.
So… I sent out one of the weakest first badge Pokemon I had, a Snubbull. I made sure to whisper to his Pokeball in advance that he was fighting a young and inexperienced Pokemon. I'd be taking things easy on Haru just to check the bond he had with his Azurill.
To help Haru ease into the battle, I allowed him the first command.
"Water Gun!" he ordered.
"Scary Face. Get in close," I told Snubbull without missing a beat.
Water was fired in short bursts from Mimi's mouth as Snubbull slowly charged. He leaped to the side and barked loudly, face contorting into a terrifying expression. The barrage of water came to a halt as Mimi froze up with fear. Snubbull didn't wait; he instantly took advantage of the lapse in offense and ran forward.
I waited to see how Haru would react, and he did not disappoint. His previous anxiety vanished in an instant. Instead of panicking, Haru's eyes hardened.
"Mimi! Start!" Haru called out encouragingly.
The sound of her trainer's voice snapped Mimi back to attention. I watched with interest as the Azurill began spinning her tail in the air. Even now, Snubbull was about to get in range for a Tackle—
"NOW!" Haru yelled.
Mimi twirled her tail one last time and threw it.
My Snubbull smashed into nothing but empty space as Haru's Azurill flew through the air. She went as far as ten meters before clumsily bouncing across the ground and landing back on her tail. Now that was a good move, and I couldn't help but nod to myself approvingly. Haru had taken advantage of how naturally long and bouncy an Azurill's tail was and used it as a method of movement.
The battle ended soon after. True to what Haru had said, his Azurill only knew a scant few moves, and she got tired out very quickly. I was still impressed by how much water she had managed to expel for her Water Gun attacks. Azurill typically didn't have a large capacity for water-based attacks until they evolved, so it was a good indication that whatever training routine Haru had come up with on his own was a good one.
When I told Haru as much, his eyes lit up. I couldn't stop a chuckle from escaping me this time as I watched him walk back to the city with a spring in his step.
That night, I sent out just one acceptance email.
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At a hotel somewhere in Cherrygrove City, a teenager almost cried tears of joy when he called his mom and told her the good news.
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Sunday, April 9th. 8:50 AM. Interview Site. Watanuki Property. Cherrygrove City, Johto.
Today was a little different. Instead of gym trainers, I was interviewing people for social media manager positions.
It was not an overstatement to say how different these people were from the gym trainer applicants.
That was not meant in a bad way, of course. Many of them were simply outgoing and nearly threatened to chat my ears right off during their interviews. I didn't mind. I focused more on their skills and qualifications. Nobody really stood out to me by the time the afternoon rolled around.
Around one o'clock, my next applicants walked in. This case was a little unusual in that a team of two had sent in one form. They were a pair of siblings, a high school girl and her older brother who worked as a freelance designer. Both of them were Cherrygrove locals.
I couldn't help but stare at the girl a bit as she and her brother took their seats. For some reason, I felt like I had seen her before—
"Ah!" I said out loud in realization. I smiled politely. "You packaged the souvenirs for me a couple weeks ago at Granny Miya's shop. Thank you for that again."
"Y-Yes!" the girl said excitedly in response. She looked absolutely elated. "That was me! I'm happy you remembered. I need to thank you as well for the large tip, it really made my day."
What a coincidence this turned out to be. Apparently Kari — that was the girl's name — had pestered her brother into applying for the job with her. Despite Kari's young age, she was a talented editor and had helped numerous social media influencers with their own pages. Her brother, Yulian Chester, had experience with both web and graphic design.
They showed me their portfolios and examples of their work. I was already more than satisfied with what I saw, but I still had to run through interview questions. One of them was to see how the applicants would improve the Cherrygrove Gym's website and social media pages.
"Forgive me for saying this, Leader Arin, but the Cherrygrove Gym website doesn't fit at all," Yulian said. He wore a sheepish smile as if he expected me to reprimand him, but I just laughed.
"I'm well aware," I replied. The Porygon had tried their best, but website design just wasn't what they specialized in. "May I hear your ideas then for how to change it?"
"Certainly!" Yulian beamed, and he pulled out printed pages from his bag for me to peruse. "I was thinking about altering the website to have separate looks depending on if it's day or night. I'm not a trainer, but I did some research on Fairy types for this. For the day, we can use bright hues to emulate the moon. Then for the night, we can switch to darker, softer colors and a starry theme like so…"
He talked on for another five minutes. By the end of it, I was already sold on his idea. Kari wasn't willing to be outdone by her brother, either.
"For the social media pages, one thing I suggest is including short biographies or fun facts of you and your Pokemon," Kari said as she waved her hands around animatedly. "This way, the public can better understand who you and your team are as individuals and even grow to love your Pokemon as much as you do…"
She showed me some examples of what she was talking about based on other famous social media influencers and their own Pokemon. I had to admit it was a fun and charming idea, and I internally gave the okay for it in my head.
Even after I said goodbye to the Chester siblings and met the rest of the applicants, it was clear who I wanted to hire.
Kari and Yulian ended up joining the team.
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Tuesday, April 11th. 11:46 AM. Interview Site. Watanuki Property. Cherrygrove City, Johto.
I had three gym trainers and two social media managers already, and today…
It was the last day of interviews.
I hadn't hired anyone yesterday. Every person I'd met with had been unsuitable in some way for the job. Now, I was facing the last batch of interviewees. I had high hopes already as I stared at the paper in my hands. Across from me sat a man with black hair tied into a short ponytail.
Murata Yoni, a thirty-year-old former Ranger affiliated with the Indigo League's 3rd Ranger Squad based in Fuchsia City.
And by former, I meant he'd quit literally two days after turning in his gym trainer application. I knew as much because I ran a quick reference and background check on him.
Why he had resigned in advance, I had no idea, but Murata had been an active Pokemon trainer up until three years ago. He'd made it to the Indigo Conference on and off over the span of eight years, and his best record was reaching the top 64. He'd retired from battling after that to become a Ranger. He had the best Conference-related achievements out of everybody who had turned in an application, and it was a big part of why I'd wanted to interview him.
That, and the fact that he had a Wigglytuff on his battling team.
I decided to jump right into the question I wanted to ask.
"Mr. Yoni, when I called your now previous employers, I was told you had already resigned from the Ranger forces. May I ask why you want this job?" I asked.
"Because of you," Murata said politely. I stared at him as he continued. "When I gave up on my trainer career three years ago, it was because I felt like I couldn't go further. That my Pokemon and I had hit our limit and done the best we could possibly do. But… you inspired me. When I saw your match with Pryce, I realized I had never left behind my love of battling after all. My Pokemon and I decided we wanted to try and improve ourselves again. My Wigglytuff in particular wants to learn from you. I quit the Rangers already because even if I do not get hired by you in the end, I will continue being a trainer."
He smiled, awkwardly fiddling with his hands. "Thankfully, my wife is very supportive. Part of the reason I quit battling was to see if I could find a stable, decent-paying job to support my family. I've enjoyed my work as a Ranger, but it never fulfilled me the same way training and battling did."
I learned that Murata had been born in Kanto and his wife in Johto. His wife had willingly moved to Kanto to be with her husband and support his career, and they had two young daughters. Twins. I made a note on my paper that he'd probably want staff lodgings for his whole family or be reimbursed for an apartment or house in Cherrygrove in the future should I hire him.
Murata's calm personality and aspirations aside, I also liked his skills as a Pokemon trainer. It was obvious he was a bit rusty fighting actual people compared to the wild Pokemon he had been handling as a Ranger. He started slipping in the second half of the short match because he couldn't keep up with the high, intense pace.
I also humored him by fighting his Wigglytuff with my own. Murata's Pokemon was different from Taffy in that it specialized in jumping. Wigglytuff generally lost a lot of their mobility once they evolved due to much bigger and less rounded bodies, but Murata had trained his Pokemon to be able to kick powerfully and launch himself from one place to another.
I liked what I saw. Murata was marked down with high ratings.
More interviewees came and went, but only one in the afternoon ended up standing out to me more than the others. It was a young man with messy light blue hair. He had large, round spectacles that he constantly adjusted. More than a bit nervous, if I had to guess.
Hazel McMillon, or 'Haze' as he apparently liked to be called. He was twenty-three-years old and a former student of Celadon University who had majored in Pokemon pharmacology. Even if I hadn't looked at Hazel's transcripts or various academic awards, that in itself was a high indication of his intelligence. Celadon University was the best and most competitive college in Kanto-Johto, period. It had produced a number of notable Professors and other individuals.
Hazel had quit about two years in to finally pursue something he'd always wanted but never had the guts to do: being a trainer. He was a bit of a traveler and had taken on the Silver, Lily of the Valley, and Ever Grande Conferences in that order. His best record was top 128 in the Ever Grande Conference. He'd actually faced and barely beaten Yurie only to get knocked out in the next round.
When I asked about why he wanted the job—
"I've decided to take time off from challenging League Circuits to train and explore other career options related to Pokemon," Hazel revealed. "I like competing in Conferences, but I've been wondering if there is something my Pokemon and I would enjoy doing more. I actually heard about and was encouraged to apply for this job from my older sister. She's a doctor here in Cherrygrove."
"Oh?" I raised a brow in interest. Hazel took that as a sign to continue.
"Yeah! She works at Solaris Hospital. I was actually born in Cherrygrove, but I moved to Ecruteak when I was seven. My sister transferred there for work at the time and came back to serve in our hometown," he proudly explained. "So I guess I'm technically a returning local?"
Huh. I idly wondered if we'd ever passed by each other in the streets before he moved. We talked for another twenty minutes, and I was glad to see Hazel relaxing the further into the interview we got. He was surprisingly very chatty once he shook off his initial nerves and even injected some humor into the conversation with witty remarks.
The battle portion went well, too. Hazel used a Sudowoodo against me which was very intriguing. Not a lot of trainers typically bothered adding one to their teams or training one because they were seen as rather weak. In fact, as seen on his resume, Hazel's entire team was made up of Pokemon that were either uncommonly used in high tier battling or considered 'unpopular' by the masses.
When I inquired about the reason, Hazel simply said with a smile, "All Pokemon deserve to be loved."
I gave him extra marks for that sincere statement alone.
That evening, I carefully reviewed all the notes I'd taken. There were a couple different people I was considering, but in the end, I hired just two more gym trainers.
Murata Yoni and Hazel McMillon made the cut.
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Friday, April 14th. 9:36 AM. Living Room. Watanuki Household. Cherrygrove City, Johto.
I stared at the small group of people sitting on the couches in our living room.
Yurie Irazuki, Souta Ishimoto, Haru Agawa, Murata Yoni, and Hazel McMillon were my five new gym trainers. Kari and Yulian Chester, my social media managers, were also present for this initial meeting.
A few days had been necessary for contracts to be finalized and for everyone to make the necessary arrangements to join the team. Since the Gym was currently under construction, staff lodgings would not be ready for a while. Yurie, Haru, and Hazel had all expressed interest in getting a room on site eventually, so for now I was paying for their stays in inns or hotels in the city. Souta also wanted to use the staff lodgings, but he would be doing an arrangement where he spent half the week there and the other half commuting from his house in Cherrygrove. As for Murata, I had already reimbursed him for a house purchase he made. He and his family had already moved their things over to their new place from Kanto.
Everything was ready.
There were plates of food laid on the tables, and everybody had a drink of some sort in hand. I would begin teaching the gym trainers after the party, but for now…
I raised my cup of juice into the air. Behind me, dad and Neil did the same. Everyone else raised their own glasses with smiles.
"Congratulations once again to everyone for passing the interviews," I began. My lips quirked higher and higher into a smile for every word I spoke. "The Cherrygrove Gym is embarking on a brand new journey as the ninth major gym of Johto. It's not going to be easy, but I believe we can make this Gym the best possible version of itself. I'll be counting on all of you to help me achieve that."
I paused briefly, all but grinning at this point. I was one step closer to the League Circuit and my dreams.
"To the future of the Cherrygrove Gym."
Everyone cheered.
"To the future of the Cherrygrove Gym!"