Riley had no idea what Yushu was thinking and continued introducing Iron Island:
"The Pokémon on Iron Island are all strong. There are plenty of mines, so naturally, Steel-type Pokémon make up most of the population. It's a good place to train."
"But I've heard there's an ancient ruin deep inside Iron Island. My goal is to explore it."
"Ruins, huh? Sounds impressive," Yushu replied casually.
He knew about those ruins.
And according to the game's setting, there was a Registeel inside.
He didn't know whether that was true in reality, but if they actually ran into one, with their current strength, they would probably drop dead on the spot.
An existence on that level wasn't something a newbie like him, who had only transmigrated a little over a month ago, could afford to provoke.
"If you're interested, you could come take a look with me."
Riley invited Yushu to team up.
"Huh? Me?" Yushu froze for a moment.
"That's right."
Riley nodded, his expression serious. "With my current strength, exploring alone would be somewhat dangerous. The wild Pokémon deep inside Iron Island are quite strong. Having someone to watch my back would help."
"So you want me as backup?"
Yushu understood. Riley wanted to team up with him for a dungeon run.
"Yes."
Riley said frankly, "I think you'd be a reliable partner. If we work together, we should be able to explore farther in."
He rarely teamed up with others.
But Yushu was levelheaded and strong, and his Pokémon all looked well trained.
He should make a good exploration partner.
Yushu considered it for a moment. "How long would we be gone?"
"If we only explore the outer areas, two or three days would be enough. But if we want to reach the core area, we'd need at least a week."
Riley said, "There wouldn't be much point in just wandering around the outskirts."
"A week..."
Yushu felt torn. "I can't leave this place unattended, either. The Pokémon need feeding, the ranch needs tending, the Berry orchard needs looking after..."
He wasn't on his own anymore.
He had six Pokémon, plus over thirty Miltank and Mareep to look after.
There were also the Berry orchard and flower fields to tend.
He might make his daily work look effortless, but in reality, he barely had a moment to spare from morning to night.
Riley understood:
"I know you have concerns, but I think you could find someone to share the daily work. That would free up some time for you to do other things."
"Besides, you'll have to go away eventually. Whether it's to Iron Island or to do something else in the future, you can't stay in town forever."
"Kurokawa said the same thing."
Yushu gave a wry smile.
"Kurokawa?"
Yushu said, "The owner of the Field Shop in town."
"I think I've seen that name."
Riley thought back. He seemed to have seen the man during yesterday's competition; he appeared to be one of the sponsors.
Something suddenly occurred to Riley. "Oh, right. There's a local specialty deep inside Iron Island that might interest you."
Yushu asked curiously, "What kind of treasure?"
Riley smiled faintly. "Metal Coats! They say you can find naturally formed Metal Coats deep inside Iron Island!"
"Natural Metal Coats are far better in quality than artificial ones. Not only do they increase the power of Steel-type moves, they can also strengthen a Pokémon's physique across the board."
"All-natural Metal Coats..."
Yushu murmured.
All right, he was tempted.
He didn't have any Steel-type Pokémon on his team right now, but what if he caught one in the future?
Besides, even if he didn't use a Metal Coat himself, he could sell it for a good price.
Pokémon like Scyther and Onix needed Metal Coats to evolve.
All-natural Metal Coats were treasures that money alone couldn't buy on the market. Almost all wild Steelix had evolved using them.
Riley raised an eyebrow. "Well? Interested?"
"Hmm... Let me think about it."
Yushu was already tempted, in truth.
Riley stood up. "No problem. Once you've decided, come find me at the Pokémon Center. I'll be here for the next few days."
"Sure."
After Riley left, Yushu sat in the courtyard, staring blankly at the distant Berry orchard.
Iron Island... ruins... Metal Coats...
It certainly sounded appealing.
And teaming up with Riley meant he at least wouldn't have to worry about his teammate being a runner.
But... what about the ranch?
He really couldn't get away right now.
Perhaps... it really was time to hire someone?
No sooner said than done!
Yushu immediately began planning his grand recruitment scheme.
He wasn't going to put up advertisements.
Was that a joke? Advertisements would bring in all sorts. Who knew what kind of freaks he might end up hiring?
If he hired someone lazy and gluttonous, it might not cause any real damage, but it would still grate on him.
It was like pulling cards. You never knew whether you would get an SSR or an R.
The best approach was to ask people he knew for recommendations-in other words, referrals.
These days, referrals were the most reliable way to recruit.
The benefit of a referral was that the person recommending the candidate had already screened them for you. They would have a good idea of how reliable the candidate was and what their personality was like.
Besides, if something went wrong with someone they recommended, they would lose face too, wouldn't they?
Yushu first sent Mayor Zongping a message:
"Uncle Zongping, I'm looking to hire someone. Do you have anyone reliable to recommend? Preferably a local."
After sending it, he sent Kaixin a similar message.
"Kaixin, I'm looking to hire some help. Do you have any suitable candidates to recommend? Reliability comes first, and the pay is negotiable."
Before long, their replies arrived one after the other.
Mayor Zongping: "Sure, I'll ask around. A few young people have been looking for work lately. They seem pretty good to me-all honest kids."
Kaixin: "Oh, finally come around? I thought you were going to work yourself to death all alone! I happen to have someone in mind. I'll have her come over to your place tomorrow."
He sent two replies: "Great, sorry for the trouble, but please arrange a meeting for me. I'll be at the ranch for the next couple of days."
Done!
Having connections really was reliable. It saved so much trouble.
This was what they meant by relying on your parents at home, your friends away from home, and your connections when starting a business.
He put down his phone and walked out of the courtyard.
The weather was lovely. Warm sunlight spilled over the pasture, and the breeze carried over waves of fragrance from the flower fields.
Yushu walked over to the apiary, wanting to see how his honey project was coming along.
At that moment, Vespiquen was in front of the apiary, directing the Combee as they carried the nectar they had collected into the hive.
Dozens of Combee filed in and out, the whole process orderly, like a natural production line.
"Bzz~"
When Vespiquen saw Yushu approaching, her expression softened considerably.
"Vespiquen, how's the honey coming along?" Yushu asked as he walked up beside the apiary.
Honey was one of the commonly used varieties of honey in the Pokémon world. Not only could it be eaten daily, it could also be used to make Pokéblocks and high-grade Pokémon food, and market demand for it had always been high.