Chapter 758: Recruitment
In addition to Kazuma, Shin, and Eisuke, Akihito and Arata Sena also participated in this competition.
Luna and Rand also wanted to participate, but they were not yet ten years old, so they couldn't join any official competitions, leaving them feeling quite frustrated.
In the end, Eisuke emerged as the champion.
Actually, during the competition, Yuga could already predict the outcome, as Eisuke's strength surpassed the others by a considerable margin.
Yuga awarded Eisuke the championship, considering that the prize was sponsored by YoYo Day Care.
On the day after the competition, Yuga, in his capacity as a Gym Leader, invited Kazuma, Shin, and Eisuke to visit Verdanturf Gym.
Yuga's decision to invite them to Verdanturf Gym was a spur-of-the-moment idea.
After watching their competition, Yuga thought highly of their skills and realized that his Gym still had four apprentice positions available.
Yuga valued talent greatly and hoped to cultivate more outstanding trainers.
Once they arrived at the Gym, Yuga didn't beat around the bush. He directly expressed his invitation, wanting to recruit them as apprentices of Verdanturf Gym.
Kazuma and Shin were both pleasantly surprised by the offer. They hadn't expected such a good opportunity to come their way. After some brief consideration, they accepted Yuga's invitation.
Becoming a Gym apprentice came with numerous benefits, including access to high potential Pokémon and a prestigious status. They would also receive regular resources from the Pokémon League, essentially securing their futures.
The Pokémon League provided more than just material resources and high potential Pokémon; they also offered knowledge. The League had its own extensive knowledge database, open to trainers under its umbrella.
Once recognized as Gym apprentices by the League, they would gain access to this knowledge database, allowing them to access various information on raising and training Pokémon.
This information included valuable experiences shared by exceptional trainers throughout the League's history.
The League's knowledge database even contained summaries of past Elite Four members and Champions' experiences. However, as Gym apprentices, they wouldn't have access to such privileged information.
Unexpectedly, Eisuke declined Yuga's offer.
He explained to Yuga that he didn't want to align himself with any organization. He simply wished to be an adventurous trainer without any affiliations.
Yuga didn't push the matter further. Although he was surprised by Eisuke's decision, he respected it. After all, everyone had their own aspirations.
In the profession of a trainer, it was quite challenging for individuals from ordinary backgrounds to stand out on their own.
Ensuring basic necessities was straightforward, and most trainers could achieve that by taking on private or League-assigned tasks, which paid well.
However, merely covering one's own living expenses wasn't enough to progress. Trainers also had to budget for obtaining new Pokémon, buying Pokéblock, acquiring held items, evolution-inducing items, teaching new moves to Pokémon, and more—all of which required significant funds.
In the Pokémon world, knowledge was highly protected, so accessing better methods of raising Pokémon or teaching them new moves, whether through consultation or online research, often came with a price tag.
The rarer the information, the costlier it became.
Furthermore, accomplished trainers could afford luxuries like incense, evolution stones, and other extravagant items for their Pokémon. Once introduced, maintaining these items became a long-term commitment, incurring ongoing expenses that were difficult to estimate.
The Pokémon that undergo ordinary training and those trained with incense, attribute gems, and other luxuries undoubtedly have a significant difference, and this gap only widens over time.
Apart from these luxuries, sometimes, in order to raise the upper limits of their Pokémon's growth, trainers need to use rate items. These items are mostly purchased and not obtained through adventures.
Only a few lucky individuals can experience such adventures.
The expenses for buying these items are much higher than purchasing any luxury items, and some trainers even go to great lengths to afford them.
The relationship between trainers and their Pokémon is complex. Some trainers may retire their early Pokémon due to their poor potential, but there's a special bond with their initial Pokémon. A few trainers seek rate items to enhance the potential of their starter Pokémon to continue their journey together.
While these rate items are rare, in such a vast Pokémon world with numerous trainers, a portion of fortunate individuals manages to acquire them.
However, no matter which rate item it is, buying one comes at an exorbitant cost.
This highlights that having money is essential to succeed in the profession of a trainer unless one is content with remaining a bottom-tier trainer forever.
In such circumstances, most trainers opt to align themselves with a particular faction.
Among these, Gym apprentices are highly sought after. They not only receive support and training from the Pokémon League but also enjoy a guaranteed status.
In the face of such temptation, Eisuke's ability to decline Yuga's recruitment showcases his strong convictions.
If Yuga were in Eisuke's shoes without the advantage of a system like his golden finger when he first arrived in this world and had the opportunity to be recruited under such favorable conditions, he would have accepted without hesitation.
After discussions with Kazuma and Shin, Yuga allowed them to return home for now.
It's still the New Year period, and Yuga plans to assist them in registering their identities with the League and applying for the starter Pokémon given to Gym apprentices after the New Year celebrations.
Although Kazuma and Shin are slightly older, their strong foundations as locals from Verdanturf Town make them well-suited for this.
However, when talking about age, Kazuma is the older of the two. He just turned sixteen this year, making him older than Akihito but younger than Arata Sena.
Shin, on the other hand, is eight years older than Shin, at twenty-four. He's even older than Yuga himself, and his age in the trainer world is quite significant.
However, his training foundation is exceptionally solid. With a few yellow potential Pokémon in his hands, he managed to win against Akihito in the festival's competition. He almost defeated Arata Sena as well.
It's worth noting that Yuga continuously provided Akihito and Arata Sena with high potential Pokéblock, incense, and other resources. The Pokémon they have all possess green potential, giving them a significant head start compared to others.
When Yuga listened to Akihito, he learned that Kazuma had been traveling outside for these years and earned his strength through hard work and dedication.
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