Those shop owners who were among the first to receive "Pokémon Center" authorization were not entirely certain in their hearts during the early days after opening.
Sega had almost exacting requirements for the unified decoration style of the Pokémon Centers.
From the font and color of the signboard, to the placement of the shelves inside the store, and even the dimensions of the promotional posters on the walls, everything was stipulated in meticulous detail.
A hefty sum for sign production and renovation, plus that deposit for "honest business operations," weighed on their hearts, heavy and solid.
What if this wave of enthusiasm was only a night-blooming flower that vanished in a flash?
Such mutterings had once risen with the bubbles in their wineglasses and quietly dispersed again when a few familiar shop owners gathered in private.
However, after Jigglypuff's evolution demonstration exploded like a detonated bomb and stirred up towering waves in the world of children, everything changed.
The flow of customers in their shops, obviously much larger than usual, made these shop owners the brightest stars on the shopping street.
The crisp ringing of the cash register had almost never stopped from the moment they opened for business.
The children's excited screams, the parents' slightly helpless yet indulgent smiles, and the spending in the shops brought by the crowds gathering because of Pokémon all proved that this Pokémon Center authorization was worth every penny.
That bit of resentment they had once felt over the renovation costs and deposit had long since been washed away without a trace by the daily climb in turnover.
The shop owners now walked as if the wind followed them, their faces carrying smiles they could not hide.
They began actively requiring their employees to study Pokémon knowledge to ensure that every customer could receive