Site Selection

After Harrold left, Yuga comforted the customers in the shop and then returned to the restaurant to continue caring for his Pokémon eggs. However, he had barely sat down in the restaurant when Mayor Ishida, wearing a cheerful smile, came to visit.

Mayor Ishida wasn't alone; he was accompanied by a middle-aged man with a mustache.

In the reception room:

"Yuga, this is Mr. Sasaki Makoto. Mr. Sasaki is responsible for overseeing the construction of the Verdanturf Town Gym."

Mayor Ishida introduced the smiling middle-aged man to Yuga.

"Hello, Mr. Sasaki!"

Yuga smiled and extended his right hand.

"Hello, hello! It's a pleasure to meet you. Mr. Shimizu, you truly are a talented young man!"

Seeing Yuga offering his hand, Makoto Sasaki quickly shook it and praised Yuga even more.

Yuga modestly replied, "You're too kind. Let's discuss the Gym matters first."

Mayor Ishida chimed in, "Yes, yes, let's focus on the Gym."

So, at Yuga's invitation, the three of them sat down in the reception room and began discussing the establishment of the Gym.

Establishing a Gym was a complex task, involving considerations such as the Gym's location, architectural style, staffing, badge design, and Gym battle rules. These were all matters for Yuga to ponder.

Makoto Sasaki had arrived in Verdanturf Town earlier, where Mayor Ishida had received him. During Yuga's absence, Makoto, under Mayor Ishida's guidance, had conducted a survey of the town and prepared suggestions for Gym locations.

While the final decision on the Gym's location rested with Yuga, Makoto's role was to provide reasonable suggestions and valuable reference points.

"Well, Mr. Shimizu, Verdanturf Town isn't very large, so there aren't many suitable places to establish the Gym. I've chosen a few locations based on my own ideas, which you can consider."

Saying this, Makoto took out a map of Verdanturf Town and spread it out in front of Yuga.

"Sure, I appreciate your help."

Yuga nodded and said.

Yuga wasn't very knowledgeable about selecting building sites, so having a professional provide suggestions was a great help.

"First, there's the town center. It's the residential and commercial hub of the town, with a large population. If the Gym is established here, challengers will find it relatively easily. However, the drawback is that many buildings are already occupied, so the available space for the Gym won't be very large."

Makoto used a pen to draw a circle on the map, marking the town center. Then, he marked a few places he thought were suitable for the Gym. As he had mentioned, these areas had limited space available.

Yuga nodded in understanding and then asked, "What are the other options?"

Makoto Sasaki smiled and continued, "If we don't establish the Gym in a crowded area, we have more options. Verdanturf Town has a lot of undeveloped land around it, making it suitable for Gym construction."

As he spoke, Makoto used his pen to encircle areas around the town that were suitable for the Gym.

"However, among these options, I'd recommend this location."

Makoto eventually pointed to a relatively large area on the map and said to Yuga, "Please share your thoughts."

In truth, Yuga was also quite interested in this particular location, but since Makoto had suggested it, he wanted to hear Makoto's opinion.

Makoto nodded and continued his explanation, "This location is very close to your Pokémon Day Care, practically adjacent. Choosing this spot for the Gym would be very convenient for you. It would allow you to oversee both the Gym and the Day Care effectively."

Indeed, one of the reasons Yuga liked this location was its proximity to his Day Care.

The YoYo Day Care is located on the outskirts of Verdanturf Town, surrounded by vast open land. Establishing a Day Care requires a considerable amount of space and a relatively quiet environment, which is why the YoYo Day Care chose to set up shop on the town's outskirts.

The location chosen by Sasaki is an area where Yuga often trained his Pokémon before opening his secondary Day Care, and it offers a large space for this purpose.

Yuga: "Please continue."

Sasaki: "The environment here is also the best among the options I've presented. I believe your initial choice of location for your Day Care considered factors like serenity, beauty, and ample water supply. Moreover, the most crucial point is that the League has allocated a very generous budget for this project."

Speaking of this, Sasaki paused for a moment.

This is not the first time that Sasaki has been tasked with helping a new gym trainer build a gym. He is very aware that there are hidden benefits for the top three in the gym selecrion tourmament.

Sasaki's words made Yuga slightly surprised. "What do you mean?"

Sasaki continued, "Ahem. Some things are often understood but left unsaid within our 'big family,' the League. Since you have a bright future ahead of you, I'm willing to give you some inside information."

"Being part of the League family involves networking, and your connections can be very valuable. Knowing that you have a promising future, I'm willing to make things easier for you."

"As the Champion of the gym selecrion tourmament and having successfully completed the assessment tasks, the League's support for the construction of the Verdanturf Gym is different from that of other Gyms. In terms of the construction budget, your Gym will receive significantly more funds."

Yuga suddenly understood. The basic infrastructure of a Gym involved various aspects such as the battle arena, the Gym Leader's residence, accommodations for referees and apprentices, training facilities, and more. All of these required funding, and there was a clear distinction between Gyms built on a tight budget and those with ample financial resources.

For instance, Gyms like the Castelia Gym, which was luxuriously established in an Ecopark, were vastly different from typical Gyms found in small towns.

As Sasaki Makoto had suggested, since the League was providing the funds, they could go all out in building the Gym. If they fell short, the League would make up the difference.

Sasaki's recommendation for Yuga to choose a larger location for the Gym was based on these considerations.

Had it been someone unaware of these behind-the-scenes aspects and who was timid in the Gym's construction, even thinking of saving the League's money, they would have been at a significant disadvantage.