Mist Mountain

The eight Trainers who emerged from the private room all looked quite pleased.

Obviously.

They were all satisfied with this transaction.

This was probably what people called a win-win.

Oh, no, a win-win-win.

Because no matter what, the Hoenn Alliance was the party that benefited.

Miss Joy said with a Smile, "Next, please let the future Gym Leaders choose the cities where they will be taking office."

Based on the rankings, Tetsuya should have been first.

So Asakawa Chinatsu stepped forward first.

"I choose Longevity Town."

He made his decision with almost no hesitation.

Among the eight towns.

Longevity Town's overall ranking was probably somewhere in the middle.

And because it was close to Mist Mountain, it generally had more matters that needed handling.

For example, if residents or Trainers got lost, people would need to be dispatched—or even go personally—to search for them.

Normally, this was not a choice someone ranked first should make.

However.

For Asakawa Chinatsu, this was the best choice.

Because he might not have had the strength or ability to serve as Gym Leader in one of those major cities.

If things went wrong and the League held him accountable, it would not be worth it.

Longevity Town was indeed affected by its proximity to Mist Mountain.

But as a town qualified to host an R1 Contest—meaning participants needed at least one Ribbon—its overall development was still quite good.

There was also no problem attracting crowds and the like.

More than that.

Asakawa Chinatsu discreetly glanced around.

After seeing that he had made this choice, the other Trainers visibly relaxed.

Even their expressions when looking at him became gentler.

"I would have liked to take on the challenge, but unfortunately..."

He smiled helplessly.

Sometimes, simply looking at the benefits laid out in the open was