After agreeing to become an apprentice at the Sunshine Gym, Nemona quickly left.
Following a morning of intense training and an exhilarating (though unsurprising) battle, Eevee was now peacefully napping in Aiden's arms.
"I never expected Nemona to actually become an apprentice at the Sunshine Gym…"
Recalling what had just transpired, Aiden couldn't help but let out a sigh of admiration.
"If Nemona successfully becomes the Champion next year, won't the entrance of the Sunshine Gym be trampled by challengers…?"
"In the future, if we encounter other promising talents, maybe we can recruit a few more."
"What if we manage to gather all four members of the Paldea protagonist group? Wouldn't that make the Sunshine Gym unbeatable?"
Now, it's time for some fantasy!
As his mind relaxed, several lines of text soon appeared before Aiden's eyes.
[Although your live streaming career is going smoothly, attracting fans from all over the world to this remote Sunshine Gym is clearly no easy task.]
[However, fortunately, there are still local challengers coming. After a thrilling battle, you eventually managed to secure your first victory as the new Gym Leader—albeit with great difficulty.]
Aiden slowly typed out a question mark.
Difficult?
Although Eevee's "King Engine" almost threw him off, the entire process went quite smoothly, didn't it?
This system is still as absurdly wrong as ever…
[Task: Take on the responsibility of being the Gym Leader and secure your first victory against a Gym Challenger. (Completed)]
[Reward: Elesa's Gym Management Guide.]
After lightly tapping the screen, a thin booklet soon materialized in his palm.
Though called a guide, it felt more like a magazine.
Compared to Blue's notebook, this content was so sparse that it lacked any sense of sincerity…
But Aiden hadn't really expected much from this reward anyway.
Driven by strong curiosity, he flipped to the cover.
And instantly, he understood why Elesa had led the Nimbasa Gym to international fame.
With such a perfect face and figure, how could she not become famous? Even heaven wouldn't allow it otherwise!
But how could he emulate her?
Should he follow the example of a certain Grand Festival Contest Triple Champion…
The thought barely surfaced before he violently shook his head, banishing it to the farthest reaches of his mind.
No way, absolutely not!
There must be other feasible methods!
Aiden quickly turned the page and began reading the main content of the guide.
Hmm, thankfully, it wasn't what he had feared.
Though slightly disappointed, Aiden patiently read through it.
Finally, he reached a conclusion:
Elesa's methods might work, but they were unlikely to be applicable to him.
In short, Elesa's philosophy was both extreme and somewhat instructive—
Discover the unique characteristics of your Gym and amplify them to the maximum extent.
Since Elesa had entered the modeling industry at a very young age, she immediately implemented sweeping reforms upon inheriting the Gym.
She transformed most of the Gym into a dazzling runway stage, chose attractive Trainers as apprentices, and even incorporated nearby roller coasters into the Gym in the future.
"Rather than constantly improving one's own strength, prioritizing the Gym's reputation among Trainers is the key, huh?"
Aiden quickly summarized Elesa's approach.
It felt a bit unorthodox, but he had to admit it was effective, especially for "influencer" Gym Leaders who naturally attracted a large fanbase.
This novel concept had also been validated by many young Gym Leaders.
For instance, Iono from Levincia Gym.
It was indeed a suitable path for his current stage.
"So, what should the Sunshine Gym focus on developing right now?"
Gently stroking Eevee's fur, Aiden found himself deep in thought.
Was it interesting live-streaming content like Iono's?
"Maybe partially, but it doesn't quite fit."
Moreover, after two streams, he could already feel that without making changes, the impact of streaming on the Gym's popularity would be minimal.
Ultimately, the people following him were there to learn his strategies or discover interesting tactics—not for the Sunshine Gym itself.
Wait…
"Could the keyword actually be learning?"
A sudden flash of inspiration struck Aiden, and he felt he might have hit the nail on the head.
Under his influence, most viewers in his live streams and video comment sections now referred to themselves as "classmates."
So, wasn't his role essentially that of a teacher?
If challenging the Gym could also teach them useful things—even leaving a deeper impression than online—then it could connect with the streams!
"So, how do I highlight the Gym's unique features?"
Aiden continued pondering along this line of thought.
Newbie Trainers in this world were essentially equivalent to students from his past life.
And if he remembered correctly, Orange Academy's atmosphere was currently chaotic—it was practically a noble school, right?
Until Peony formed Team Star and clashed with the school, finally bringing Orange Academy back on track.
In other words, Paldean students were eagerly craving knowledge.
He had identified the fundamental needs of the locals!
"What's the best way to assess students' levels?"
"It's exams!"
Paldean Gyms traditionally included pre-challenge mini-games. Why not turn it into a diagnostic test?
No, no.
It seems I'm still not quite sinister enough.
"Just exams aren't enough to help students improve."
Like Orange Academy's midterms and finals—questions that were too simple made even elementary school students shake their heads.
So, he needed to include obscure but highly valuable knowledge.
For example, the Q&A segment in his videos could serve as part of the Gym's test question bank?
This would fully integrate online and offline activities!
Aiden felt like a genius.
At this rate, by the time the Gym started gaining popularity, the number of questions would likely have expanded significantly.
Want to challenge the Gym? First, watch my instructional videos carefully!
Orange Academy's missed lessons? The Sunshine Gym will help you catch up.
If it becomes one of the designated Gyms on the Champion Road, wouldn't that allow us to torment… err, educate a large number of rookie Trainers?
Just then, the subtitles that had begun to fade in front of him started rolling again.
[With the first challenger, it's foreseeable that more Trainers will come to challenge the Gym.]
[Under your leadership, the Sunshine Gym is on the rise. Passing the Gym assessment is only a matter of time.]
[Having lived another life, you deeply understand the importance of this Gym assessment.]
[Beyond securing the Gym's qualification, becoming one of the "Eight Gyms" is the goal you need to strive for.]
[New Task Unlocked: Pass the Paldea League's Gym Qualification Assessment.]
[Reward: Based on assessment results.]
Indeed!
The intelligence provided by the system aligned perfectly with Aiden's thoughts.
This reinforced his belief that his ideas were correct. Perhaps he could start experimenting with Nemona tomorrow.
Nemona's command skills and ability to read battles weren't bad. If she could learn a more flexible style, it would greatly benefit her growth.
Though, it might be a bit of a headache at first.
"Hmm, enduring hardships is necessary to grow stronger, right? Nemona should be able to understand… right?"
Aiden muttered softly.
At that moment, his phone on the table suddenly vibrated twice.
Has someone replied to him?
Aiden quickly realized this, placed Eevee on the other side of the sofa, and picked up the phone.
It was a message from Iono.
[Iono: Ciao-llo～(∠ω<)⌒★. You should feel honored to be added as a friend by Iono-sama~]
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A/N: Readers who've played Scarlet and Violet must have been tormented by final exams, right? At least the author felt it was such a hassle—why did we have to attend makeup classes too…
This memory is now being repaid a hundredfold to the locals of Paldea in a strange way.
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