Terrance spent two more days at the Old Green House, and the next day, he set off.
After saying goodbye to everyone at the Old Green House, Terrance headed to his first destination, a face-to-face meeting at the headquarters of Big Eater Catering to discuss specific endorsement details and sign the contract.
The first meeting went smoothly, taking Terrance a week in total.
Right after that, Terrance went to the Hoenn Headquarters of Pokémon Watch, Poké Ball Stickers, and Pokémon Figurines for further negotiations.
In addition, Terrance also became the spokesperson for a new shirt from the leading clothing company in Hoenn.
After visiting these five companies, Terrance had traveled across nearly half of Hoenn, and it took him two months in total, leaving him utterly exhausted.
At first, when Terrance entered his first business collaboration, he felt somewhat reserved and uncomfortable. But by the time he reached the fifth company, his mindset had completely adjusted. He could now have impromptu conversation with a group of strangers for half a day, which can be considered a great training for him.
However, Terrance knew that this wasn’t his main focus. Compared to these, he much preferred spending time with Pokémon.
Whether it was as a Coordinator, Breeder, or Trainer, these roles brought Terrance a joy that these things couldn’t offer.
Even though, during these two months, his savings exceeded everything he had before, making him feel like he had become “new money,” Terrance never forgot what had truly brought him all of this success.
Walking out of the headquarters of the last company, he smiled and bid farewell to the staff who had come to see him off. Terrance then took a deep breath.
Finally, it was time to return to his real work.
“It’s time to head back to Sinnoh…”
“It’s been over a year since I left Crown Academy, hasn’t it?”
Terrance chuckled to himself. It was likely that many of his teachers and classmates had already forgotten about him, considering he didn’t have much of a presence at the academy aside from a few interactions with specific teachers and students.
“This is Lilycove City, which means I can easily book a S.S. Ticket to Sinnoh.”
“But it’s already late today; it wouldn’t be too late to set off tomorrow.”
Back at his hotel, Terrance neatly arranged his five Poké Balls, feeling a tinge of guilt.
Over the past two months, he felt he had somewhat neglected his Pokémon. Most of his time was spent socializing, leaving little time to bond with his Pokémon, let alone train them.
The tasks he left for his Pokémon were mostly “mental” exercises. He wasn’t sure if he had been a bit irresponsible in doing so.
“But, it’s fine, it was just two months… we will be working hard together for a while from now on.”
With the experience he gained from visiting various companies in Hoenn and the benefits that came with it, Terrance was confident he could now provide an even better growth environment for his Pokémon.
…
…
When leaving Hoenn for Sinnoh, crossing the sea was inevitable. He had the choice between a ship or a plane, but since Lilycove City didn’t have an airport and was full of cruise ships, and he wasn’t in a hurry, he casually chose a cruise which provided a discount.
This cruise often invited many prominent figures from society. As long as you could prove your identity, whether you are a famous entrepreneur or an outstanding youngster, you could enjoy certain discounts.
Terrance chose this cruise, of course, because it was run by a company he had already worked with. He still had long-term discount coupons, and the cruise’s main goal was to connect with talented people from different fields, with profits being a secondary concern.
Terrance also noticed something interesting: the cruise offered discounts to rookie Trainers who had debuted for less than a year, significantly reducing the price of an S.S. Ticket.
“So that’s how it is…”
It wasn’t until after a banquet, when a small-scale Cruise Contest Battle was held, that Terrance understood the reasoning behind allowing rookie Trainers on board.
A slight smirk appeared on Terrance’s face as he observed something amusing. The contestants, who clearly had some sort of privileged background, regardless of their age or gender, often ended up facing rookie Trainers who looked a bit reckless. Despite some wins and losses, the wealthy young women and businessmen seemed to be having the time of their lives.
Even though they weren’t professional Trainers, Pokémon battles had become a global trend— the number one sport!
Naturally, Pokémon battles were a staple at all kinds of events. If these well-off, non-professional Trainers were to face off against professional Trainers, it would undoubtedly lose a lot of fun. If one side loses too badly, wouldn’t it be very embarrassing for them?
Thus, rookie Trainers became “free sparring partners,” meant to give these upper-class individuals a more enjoyable traveling experience.
“Ah, so that’s what’s going on…” Terrance sighed inwardly. He had been wondering why rookie Trainers were given special benefits, but after witnessing this Contest Battle, he was speechless.
“Maybe I’m being too cynical….” Terrance shook off the thought quickly. After all, there were also battles between non-rookie Trainers. Compared to that, he cared more about the cruise’s route.
“Up ahead is Crystal Island, right? According to the map, it’s the dividing point between the Hoenn and Sinnoh Region.”
Unconsciously, as the cruise sailed on, Terrance found himself getting closer to Sinnoh.
Leaning against the railing, Terrance let out a long sigh. He wasn’t sure when it started, but after boarding a ship, enjoying the ocean breeze at noon had become a habit of his.
“Gall~~ade!!!”
Squinting his eyes and basking in the sea breeze, Terrance awaited the moment they would pass by Crystal Island.
However, a familiar cry caught his attention, causing him to glance over to the other side of the deck.
“Gallade…”
He murmured to himself as he looked over with interest. The Gallade’s owner appeared to be a rookie Trainer, dressed in shorts and a t-shirt, which made him stand out among the rest of the cruise’s passengers.
At this moment, the rookie Trainer’s Gallade was intently swinging its arms, seemingly teaching another of the Trainer’s Pokémon, a Meditite.
With Gallade giving stern corrections, Meditite nervously moved its body, repeatedly performing the fighting moves, but there were still too many flaws. Gallade kept correcting and guiding it, over and over.
The young Trainer in shorts was standing nearby, cheering on Meditite. But eventually, Meditite couldn’t take it anymore and expressed its frustration.
The Trainer seemed surprised but didn’t know how to handle the situation. He started to get flustered, looking around nervously. It was then that he spotted Terrance standing not too far away. His eyes lit up as if he had just seen someone incredibly important, and he excitedly ran over.
“Excuse me, are you Mr. Terrance, the Top Coordinator Terrance?” the young Trainer exclaimed with excitement.
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