Natsume carefully recalled the details about Mina from the anime.
This Alola girl had a natural talent for connecting with Pokémon... and in the future, she would even become the captain of Fairium Z in Alola.
But in this timeline, she was just a wandering street painter in the Touran region.
"Impressive, coming from a headhunting agency with Team Rocket roots..." Natsume sighed deeply.
"The talent they recommend is on par with a Gym Leader!"
The captains of Alola, though weaker in strength, were somewhat equivalent to Gym Leaders.
But in this world... Lillie, Lana, and the others were probably still in Trainer School...
As the sky darkened, the little girl packed up her canvas and obediently followed behind Natsume.
"Aren't you going home?!" Natsume widened his eyes.
"I'm out of money," Mina whispered.
"I slept in the passenger lounge last night... and this morning, I missed the boat schedule again..."
Natsume slapped his forehead.
Did I just hire someone who's not the sharpest tool in the shed?!
"I'll assign you some illustration tasks and pay you in advance," Natsume sighed. "Use the money to get some food and rent a decent hotel for now."
Mina opened her mouth in confusion, then suddenly bowed. "Thank you, Owner!"
Natsume's expression turned strange.
Sure, sixteen is legally acceptable...
But why does it feel like I've hired child labor?
Glancing again at Mina's thin and pale face, Natsume shook his head. "How about I treat you to a meal first?"
Mina hesitated for a moment, licked her lips, and whispered, "Isn't that... inappropriate?"
...
Five minutes later.
Buffet.
"Haunter!"
Haunter floated around the buffet area, holding a plate, excitedly looking left and right.
Squirtle adjusted its sunglasses, using its aura to inspect each dish on the plates.
Hmm... none of these are poisoned. Safe to eat!
The girl in ripped jeans, carrying a canvas, her face smudged with dirt, wolfed down her food, coughing between bites. "Th-thank you, Owner!"
Natsume rested his chin on his hand, looking utterly helpless.
Eevee slowly walked up to Granbull, baring its teeth threateningly. "Eevee! (▼皿▼#)"
Granbull, chewing on a berry, dumbfoundedly opened its mouth, and half a Sitrus Berry fell out.
Quickly dropping to the ground, Granbull wagged its tail, letting out a humble whimper. "Granbull..."
Eevee tapped Granbull's head with a bonk, its face turning red.
"Eevee!" (Do the cute act again!)
Granbull looked troubled.
With so many people watching... do I have no dignity?
"Eevee! (〝▼皿▼)"
Natsume was stunned.
Eevee's round, sparkling eyes were full of life, its face flushed, as it used its tiny paws to shake Natsume's knees.
"Eevee!"
Two seconds later.
As if giving up, Eevee's ears drooped, and it walked to the corner of the room, sulking.
No effect at all!
Natsume stroked his chin.
"Does your eye hurt?"
"Eevee! (〃＞皿＜)"
Eevee's face turned red, and it quickly turned around, charging at Natsume, only to be effortlessly grabbed by the scruff of its neck.
"Alright, I know you're cute. No need for me to praise you every day."
Natsume frowned.
"After all, I already think it every morning when I wake up. Praising you too much might get annoying."
"Eevee...??(????????ω????????)??"
Eevee let out a soft cry, lazily swinging its little feet.
Mina pursed her lips. "Uncle... you really have a great bond with your Pokémon."
A Trainer's attitude toward their Pokémon says a lot about their character.
This Uncle... is truly a good person!
Natsume sighed deeply. "You have no idea how they treat me..."
Just thinking about the giant hole still left at home, Natsume-sensei clutched his chest, his breathing quickening.
"Squirtle!" Squirtle scratched its head with a silly grin.
So what if I learned Dig? No need to keep praising me, it's embarrassing!
Placing the dazed Eevee on his shoulder, Natsume handed a notebook to Mina.
"These are the basic requirements for the illustrations. It's simple—just accurately draw the various ores."
"If possible, even if you return to Alola, we can continue working together."
Mina swallowed her curry rice and pouted. "Uncle, you're underestimating me."
Natsume's heart ached, and he gritted his teeth. "The base pay is 10,000 Pokémon Coins, with adjustments based on the quality of the illustrations..."
"Every time you call me 'Uncle,' I'll deduct 500 Pokémon Coins!"
Mina was slightly taken aback, looking up at Natsume, wanting to say something but holding back.
"Understood, Owner!"
...
After explaining the art details, Natsume prepared to leave.
But thinking it over, since Mina was alone, he decided to book a hotel for her and a boat ticket for three days later.
"It's the boat schedule for three days from now! Don't oversleep!" Natsume advised like a worried father.
Mina bowed deeply. "Thank you, Uncle!"
"Deduct 500 Pokémon Coins," Natsume's eyebrow twitched.
"When you get home, try not to travel too much. It's dangerous out there."
But Mina firmly shook her head, lifting her dirty little face, and said seriously:
"I want to become a painter... it's a shared dream between me and my Pokémon."
"Just like you and your Pokémon, Uncle, you're striving to become a Pokémon Master, right?"
Natsume immediately waved goodbye. "Deduct 1,000 Pokémon Coins! See you tomorrow!"
In the clean and tidy room, Mina tucked in the pristine blanket, murmuring to herself:
"I wonder if Uncle... has any Fairy-type Pokémon..."
"If he does, maybe I could share my manuscript with him."
Lifting her paint-stained face, Mina solemnly took out today's oil painting.
Hanging it on the canvas, she began to seriously work on this masterpiece.
In the port bathed in the glow of dusk, under the interplay of light and shadow, a tall man stood deep in thought.
An Eevee perched on the man's head, baring its fangs, gazing at the distant orange-red sunset...
...
The graphic designer for Gold Miners was finally settled.
Next, Kazuya could build the framework based on this.
Calculating the workload, the game should be ready for release on ORAS by this week.
If the collaboration goes well... the studio's future graphic design needs would be covered.
With the day's work successfully completed, Natsume let out a yawn and was about to take a nap on the couch when his mobile phone buzzed.
Red: Natsume-sensei, your address in Tokyo hasn't changed, right?
Natsume was slightly startled, a sense of caution suddenly rising in his heart.
Natsume-sensei: What's this about?
Red laughed. "Nothing much, just an old friend of mine wants to visit you."
Natsume-sensei replied cheerfully, "Of course, no problem! Give me their number, and I'll make sure to welcome them properly!"
Red corrected him, "Not 'him,' but 'her'... You probably know her too. She's a professor at Celadon University, Miss Erika from Celadon City."
Erika?
That beautiful lady who wears a kimono?
But at the same time, Natsume-sensei frowned, sensing something was off.
"When is she coming?"
"Next week."
Natsume pondered for a moment.
Next week, Gold Miners would already be released, so he'd have time to entertain her.
"No problem," Natsume nodded with a smile.
"But tell her not to bring any gifts."
"We're all friends here. It's really unnecessary!"
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