Business Progress

The first time Ninetales arrived in Verdanturf Town, it was filled with a desire to explore. This was the place it would likely be living for quite some time, and everything about it felt fresh and intriguing.

Following Yuga into the YoYo Day Care, it looked around, taking in its surroundings. "So, this is your home?"

Yuga looked down at it with a smile. "Well, what do you think? Satisfied?"

Ninetales turned its head away, pretending not to care. "It's... passable." In truth, it was quite pleased.

Yuga only gave a slight smile, choosing not to reveal its true feelings. After spending the past few days together, he felt he had a decent grasp on Ninetales's personality.

"Hey, the boss is back!"

"Welcome back, Boss Shimizu! Haven't seen you in a few days—where'd you go?"

"Boss Shimizu, it's been a while, and you're looking even more handsome!"

...

The customers coming and going greeted Yuga warmly as he returned.

Ninetales was surprised and remarked, "Who would've thought you'd be so popular."

Yuga feigned modesty. "Not too bad. It's just everyone being nice."

Ninetales rolled its eyes. "Hmph, so fake!"

After greeting Yuga, Windy went to his own room. As a homebody and someone with slight social anxiety, being outside for so long had left him a bit tense.

After chatting with Suzuki Koen, Yuga found Audino to check on the arrangements for Onix and the others. Learning that everything was going smoothly, he turned to Ninetales and said, "Come on, I'll show you where you'll be living from now on."

While Ninetales was excited, it didn't want Yuga to get cocky. "Hmph, all mysterious, huh? Let's see what kind of place you've prepared for me!"

Yuga gave Ninetales's large, fluffy tail a playful stroke, then jumped back before it could react, calling out as he ran ahead, "You'll see soon enough! Prepare to be amazed!"

Ninetales, a bit annoyed, chased after him, following him to the entrance of the Ecopark.

Just as they were entering, they saw Mime Jr. and Clefairy heading out together.

The two little ones were thrilled to see Yuga back and were about to rush over to him, but Spoink, following Yuga, stopped them in their tracks.

"Yuga's busy right now; don't bother him. I'll go play with you," said Spoink.

Mime Jr. and Clefairy weren't too happy about that, but with Spoink's superior strength and Psychic abilities keeping them at bay, they had no choice.

So, they were reluctantly pulled along by Spoink, who eagerly began boasting about its recent "honeymoon" trip with Yuga, making the two little ones bristle with irritation.

Yuga eavesdropped a little and found that Spoink was not only exaggerating but also fabricating stories. It was passionately recounting supposed feats, like bravely battling an elite-level bully Pokémon on Mt. Hideaway, rescuing a lost, beautiful Pokémon in Viridian City, and splurging in a luxurious beauty salon.

Yuga didn't expose it he just smiling as he led Ninetales away.

However, as Spoink was elaborating on how valiantly it had fought the bully Pokémon, it was overheard by the second grand syndrome Azumarill passing by, who claimed itself as a messenger of justice. Azumarill eagerly joined in the lively discussion with Spoink.

But Spoink's tall tales were quickly debunked by Mime Jr. and Clefairy. Realizing it had been deceived, Azumarill joined forces with Mime Jr. and Clefairy, dragging Spoink to a corner and giving it a good beating.

Although Spoink was stronger than Mime Jr. and Clefairy, it was no match for Azumarill and ended up quite battered.

This all happened after Yuga had already left, so he was unaware. By now, he had brought Ninetales to the Volcano Sub-Ecopark.

Pointing to the glowing magma pool below, Yuga said, "So, what do you think? Like it here?"

Ninetales had already been amazed by the existence of the Ecopark, and now, standing in a place so rich in Fire-type energy, it was stunned, frozen in place.

Having lived for hundreds of years, it had never stayed in a place this incredible. The dense Fire-type energy could be felt with every breath, flowing straight into its nostrils. If such a place had existed before, it wouldn't have needed to use up all the Fire Stones left by its previous owner to reach its current strength.

Today, Volcarona, Arcanine, the Ninetales Leader, and Houndoom Leader were all here, and seeing Yuga bringing in another Ninetales, they curiously sized up the newcomer.

"We have a new resident here today, so make sure you all get along well," Yuga announced. "Our new Ninetales lady is very skilled, so feel free to learn from her."

Yuga gave Volcarona and Arcanine a look, signaling that this Ninetales was stronger than them. The two smart Pokémon understood Yuga's meaning right away.

Seeing Ninetales still in a daze, Yuga took the opportunity to stroke its large tail, saying, "What's wrong? Do you like it here?"

He had to admit, Ninetales's fur was the softest he'd ever felt among all the Pokémon he'd petted—worthy of a high-level, hundred-year-old Pokémon.

Still somewhat stunned, Ninetales forgot to hold a grudge over Yuga touching its tail. It simply gazed deeply at him and replied, "Well... it's alright, I suppose. Barely worthy of me."

"That's good." Yuga knew that getting such a response from this elder meant it was extremely, extremely satisfied.

After settling Ninetales in, Yuga left the Ecopark and happened to encounter Mayor Ishida, who had come specifically to see him after learning of his return. Mayor Ishida also took the opportunity to update him on the progress of preparations for the Duel Tournament.

Early the next morning, Yuga went into the Ecopark to check on how the newly arrived Pokémon were settling in and was surprised to find Ninetales hanging out with Nana.

"When did you two get to know each other?" Yuga asked, walking over with a puzzled expression.

Ninetales shot him a look. "Do I have to report everything I do to you?"

Yuga replied sheepishly, "Not necessarily..."

"Then stop talking." With that, the two Pokémon went back to their tasks.

After watching for a bit, Yuga realized that Nana was actually giving Ninetales a makeover.

Ninetales now lived in the Volcano Sub-Ecopark, but the environment there was definitely not suitable for storing its clothes and accessories. So, it had planned to leave its things with another Pokémon and naturally got to know Nana in the Main Ecopark.

Nana had never met such a fashionable Pokémon before and quickly found herself getting along with Ninetales, as if they were old friends. She even enjoyed giving Ninetales personal makeovers.

Seeing these two "elder" Pokémon chattering away non-stop, Yuga didn't quite know what to say.

Maybe older ones just find it easier to have common ground?

After finishing up the makeover, Ninetales asked Yuga, "When are you taking me to the beauty salon?"

Yuga: ... So, you didn't forget after all.

Nana, overhearing, asked curiously, "What beauty salon?" Ninetales immediately explained, and after hearing about it, Nana was intrigued. "That sounds so nice! Yuga, when can we go?"

"Uh… well, another day. I have things to do. Gotta go!" With that, Yuga practically ran off to escape.

Ninetales scoffed as she watched him leave. "Cheapskate."

Nana burst into laughter, unable to stop giggling.

Leaving the Main Ecopark, Yuga headed to the Mine Sub-Ecopark, where he found Steelix training the Onix group, while Rhydon and Nidoqueen were working with the five Drilbur on their training.

Seeing this bustling scene, Yuga felt a deep sense of comfort, believing that Audino was becoming increasingly capable, organizing the new arrivals in an orderly fashion within just a few days. Little did he know that Rhydon and the Onix group's efforts all stemmed from their ongoing rivalry.

Of course, Yuga was happy to see this kind of competition that encouraged mutual progress, as long as there was no repeat of the malicious conflicts from earlier.

Leaving the Ecopark, Yuga was served breakfast by Audino.

After finishing, he took a sip from his cup and said in surprise, "Hey, what's this? It tastes great! Did you come up with a new drink?"

"Audino!"

Audino nodded with a smile.

After a bit of explaining, Yuga learned that the drink was made from fermented juice by Shuckle mixed with Gogoat's milk. Not only did it taste good, but it was also very nutritious.

"Nice, very nice. I'll have this every morning from now on."

Yuga praised Audino sincerely. Although Moomoo Milk was also delicious, drinking it every day could get a bit dull. This new drink came at just the right time.

"Audino, Audino~"

Audino then gestured excitedly to Yuga. When Yuga understood, he was surprised. "You want to get more Shuckle and sell this new drink at the Paradise Restaurant?"

"Audino~"

Audino nodded its head enthusiastically.

"But Shuckle is hard to come by." Yuga pondered, rubbing his chin. "How about this—I'll ask Professor Birch and Professor Oak later to see if they can help us source Shuckle."

"Audino~"

Elated, Audino gave Yuga a big hug.

Yuga joked, "How wonderful—our Audino is thinking about making money for the family! I wonder if in my lifetime, I'll be able to live off you. They say being a kept man is nice!"

"Audino~"

Don't make fun of me!

Having lived in the human world for so long, Audino naturally understood what Yuga meant. She punched him, almost hard enough to cause internal injuries.

After breakfast, Yuga received an unexpected call from Finis, the beautiful woman he had met in Viridian City.

It turned out that upon returning home, Finis had tried out the incense Yuga had given her.

Nobody's a fool, and with some thought, she understood why Yuga had given her and Suzie the incense under those circumstances. She also realized that Yuga must have been confident in the product's quality to give it away like that.

As a breeder and a Pokémon doctor, Finis had a high standard for assessing incense quality. After using it for a while, she noticed a significant difference in the YoYo Day Care's incense.

What Yuga had given her was an odd incense, roughly 10% more effective than the odd incense used in most salons.

This 10% improvement might not seem like much in the short term, but for Psychic-type Pokémon, whose meditation efficiency is usually fixed, the long-term benefits of this increase were invaluable.

Not only was it effective, but YoYo Day Care's incense also had a soothing fragrance when burned, more refreshing than other brands.

Inferior incense on the market could be harsh on the nose, but the higher the quality, the more pleasant the scent.

After using hundreds of incenses, Finis was confident YoYo Day Care's incense would easily rank in the top three for fragrance alone.

Incense quality isn't just about the formula; it's also influenced by the craftsman's skill and the materials used. Finis could tell the ingredients were first-rate, though she couldn't say much about the skill of YoYo's incense maker.

Good materials are hard to come by, and well-known brands typically have their own dedicated suppliers, guarding their sources closely to avoid major losses to competitors.

Owning Ecoparks and cultivating his own ingredients, Yuga didn't need to worry about this.

Based on her observations, Finis decided to recommend YoYo Day Care's incense to her boss.

Given Yuga's unique status, maintaining a good relationship with him could only be beneficial. There was no reason for Finis not to help him.

However, the salon already had its own incense supplier, so switching entirely to YoYo Day Care's incense would be difficult.

Still, with YoYo's quality verified, her boss agreed to trial a batch first—not much, just a small portion.

Finis, a top-notch groomer with partial salon ownership, had enough influence to secure this trial.

Thus, Finis called YoYo Day Care to place an order. Yuga had given her his contact information beforehand.

In fact, she could have ordered directly through the YoYo Day Care website. But having extended this "favor," she wanted her involvement recognized. It wasn't about face but about establishing a small presence with Yuga.

Since she had helped him out, Yuga didn't hold back, giving Finis a significant discount on her personal incense purchase.

Building connections is all about give and take. Yuga wasn't about to turn away this chance to strengthen his network.

Finis not only ordered for herself and the salon but also helped Suzie buy some.

While Suzie also worked as a groomer at the salon, she owned a small massage business in another city.

Unlike the salon, which had a dedicated incense brand, she typically used whichever worked best. Since YoYo Day Care's incense was superior, switching was a natural choice.

This is the advantage of a small business—she could make decisions on her own.

Having closed a new deal, which, while modest, wasn't too small either, Yuga felt pleased and decided to visit Joyka at the Pokémon Center to ask about the new beauty salon for Ninetales.

Since he had promised Ninetales, he didn't want to go back on his word. And if he could secure a business opportunity on the side, even better.