Spectacular Scenery at the Scenic Area

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Rows of fireworks soared into the sky. With Pokémon League Chairman Rose and League Champion Peony cutting the ribbon, the Hulbury Seaside Scenic Area officially opened. But just after the ceremony, Rose boarded a helicopter and left without saying more than a few words. It couldn't be helped—Galar Region's economy was truly a problem. The League Chairman was so busy every day that his feet barely touched the ground; it was said that he slept less than four hours a day.

Peony left soon afterward as well. He had other work to deal with. Although his relationship with his older brother Rose was poor, their desire to revitalize the Galar Region was exactly the same. Both of them were the type to be busy to death.

"There are so many people!"

Lulina struggled through the crowd, handed a string of charms to a customer who had just paid, then struggled to take the money the customer offered before squeezing back behind the counter.

No one had expected so many people to attend the opening ceremony. What was even more unexpected was that Blake's little shop, which had seemed like nothing more than a playful venture, would attract so many customers.

"Ghee! Ghee!!!!!! ∑(ﾟДﾟノ)ノ"

The usually outgoing Gastly was starting to feel socially anxious. He had never seen so many people in his life!

The reason for all this was that a Trainer who was also an online influencer had entered the shop, seen the various charms hanging on the wall, and immediately recognized them as genuine, high-quality items. Once people learned that these were rare items that were usually difficult to purchase, a huge crowd rushed in. The scenic area was selling authentic and precious goods at prices that weren't even particularly expensive, so nearly everyone in the entire area squeezed their way over.

"Brothers! Move! Help maintain order!"

At that moment, Uncle Sam arrived with his fellow fishermen. A group of burly, muscular men replaced the security guards who had been shoved this way and that, doing their best to maintain order. But honestly, faced with such a spectacle, even they were woefully insufficient.

"Don't push! Don't push! There's enough for everyone! Everyone!"

Blake shouted himself hoarse. Perhaps the people of Hulbury had grown accustomed to his family's presence, so he had completely forgotten just how tempting some rare Pokémon items were in this world.

"Shut up! Take my money and give me my charm!"

"I want a Cleanse Tag!"

"A Spell Tag! I want a Spell Tag! My Froslass can use one!"

"A Round Charm! Give me a Round Charm!"

"An Exp. Charm! There are Exp. Charms here! I'll take them all!"

"Get lost! You can't be so selfish! If you buy them all, what are the rest of us supposed to do?"

"Don't argue, don't argue! Here, sir, your Cleanse Tag. Miss, your Spell Tag. Lulina! We're out of Exp. Charms! Bring me some more!"

If Lulina's side was merely crowded, then Blake's side was a complete sea of people. Before that influencer had arrived, Blake's shop had been full of young people looking at things like pearl necklaces. Now, those pearls and similar items had been tossed aside and completely ignored.

"Everyone! Everyone! I made these items myself! There's no need to rush! Take it slow! Line up! Even if you can't buy one today, you can place a custom order! These items aren't that high-end! Don't crowd together! Many of these things can be bought elsewhere too! You can buy them elsewhere! Don't rush!"

There were simply too many people. With no other choice, Blake climbed directly onto the counter and shouted at the crowd. Fortunately, the scenic area's management finally sent reinforcements. A large group of security personnel rushed over and finally separated the crowd, and the scene was no longer so cramped.

"Hello, sir. One of each charm you requested, along with a Cleanse Tag and a Spell Tag."

Blake packaged the items and handed them to the customer.

"Thank you. Um, I just wanted to confirm something. Are the things in this shop really all made by you?"

The middle-aged customer asked quietly after taking the items.

"The pearl necklaces and bracelets aren't, but these charms, the Cleanse Tags, and the Spell Tags are all made by me. Next!"

Blake answered patiently, then turned and called out. At this rate, he wasn't going to get lunch today. Why were there so many people?

"Oh, okay, okay."

The middle-aged man left the shop with the items, eagerly opened the package, and carefully examined what was inside.

"Hmm... They aren't top quality, and the materials are basic, but there's no doubt that the craftsmanship is superb. If he used higher-grade materials, his potential would be limitless. No, I can't stay any longer. I need to hurry back and find the boss!"

Thinking this, the middle-aged man took out his phone and hurried toward the scenic area's entrance.

"Hello?"

A somewhat weary male voice came from the phone.

"Boss, it's me, Kitagawa."

The middle-aged man said between breaths.

"Kitagawa? What is it?"

The weary voice asked curiously.

"Boss, you left too quickly. Something big has happened inside the scenic area!"

"What? What happened?!"

Before Kitagawa could finish, the person on the other end shouted. It was not hard to guess that the person on the phone was Galar's Pokémon League Chairman, Rose. Kitagawa was an employee of Rose's company, which was why he called him Boss rather than Chairman.

"It's not bad news, Boss! It's good news!"

Afraid that Rose would misunderstand, Kitagawa hurriedly explained.

"Good news? Whew... that's good, then. What good news?"

Hearing Kitagawa say that, Rose let out a sigh of relief. After all, the Galar Region's economic recovery plan could not withstand any setbacks. Right now, he truly feared any bad news.

"There's a small shop in the scenic area. At first, I thought it was an ordinary souvenir shop, but unexpectedly, it sells genuine items. Not only that, the items are all made by the owner himself, and the owner is still a teenager!"

Kitagawa did not dare waste any time. He knew how precious Rose's time was.

"You mean there's a teenager who can make valuable items himself?"

Rose's voice became more serious.

"Yes, though they aren't exceptionally valuable. The reason they aren't more valuable is because of the materials. His technique itself is absolutely not a problem. And the things he makes are charms. I even found rare ancient charms like a Substitute Charm and a Safety Charm."

Afraid that Rose would not take this seriously, Kitagawa quickly added.

"Is that so... All right, I understand. Don't come back yet. Stay there and keep watch. Inform me immediately if anything happens, no matter what time it is. I can't spare attention for an item craftsman at the moment, but we absolutely cannot neglect him either. If there's anything you're unsure about, notify me immediately. If anyone causes trouble, you know what to do. Oh, and your wife and child can go over and stay with you too. Consider it a vacation. That's all for now. I still have work here. I'm hanging up."

Rose hung up after saying that. Not long afterward, Kitagawa received a text message. Its contents were simple: his hotel room at the scenic area had gone from a one-day reservation to a six-month stay.

"Whew... Looks like I'll be on assignment for half a year. Oh well, I can bring my wife here for a vacation. Hulbury's scenery really is quite nice."

Looking at the message on his phone, Kitagawa let out a long breath.