As the two conversed.
The TV station director approached with a beaming smile.
"The filming was very successful! Your battle was truly astonishing, Miss Naqi, thank you for your cooperation. The program will soon be produced once it ends!"
"I'm glad you're satisfied, thank you."
Naqi nodded and proceeded to express gratitude to the other staff members on the top floor one by one.
The staff members all returned smiles.
Baimu quietly placed the badge in a special box, showing it to Mawile beside him, whose eyes sparkled.
The director suddenly spoke:
"Mr. Baimu, we must also thank you for allowing us to shoot this, we are truly grateful."
"It's no big deal, I just didn't want to disrupt the plan."
He responded casually, then noticed several TV station staff gathering around, nervously yet expectantly asking him to sign on their notebooks or clothes—and it would be ideal if Mawile could leave a print too.
He wouldn't refuse such a small request, but Mawile refused to leave a print, instead eagerly snatched the pen from Baimu and, in the posture of a three-year-old holding a pen, thoughtfully scribbled its name like graffiti.
Undoubtedly, this is due to its recent rudimentary literacy with the help of Porygon II.
During the literacy classes, Baimu also started by learning how to write his name and pronounce annotations.
The few staff members were pleasantly surprised.
"Mawile's personal signature!"
"That's awesome!"
"Thank you so much! I'll treasure this for a lifetime!"
The group of men and women bowed repeatedly in gratitude.
"Mmmh~"
Mawile proudly stood with arms akimbo.
Since learning to write, the entire Pokémon feels more confident!
The director watched this scene with a smile, pulled out a business card from his pocket, "Here's my card, I hope you take it. We might have an opportunity to collaborate in the future, please take care."
Baimu reached out to take it—
[Hoenn TV Station, First Production Department Producer, Zhucun]
"Same here, please take care Mr. Zhucun." He didn't have any particular opinions about TV station people and, considering future cooperation possibilities once he became famous, he responded politely.
The director Zhucun, seeing Baimu accept the card and being so kind, immediately showed a more sincere smile.
The two briefly conversed, mainly revolving around the earlier battle, with director Zhucun regretfully stating that he couldn't provide too much footage of the fight in Naqi's personal interview.
After all, there weren't many highlights from Naqi, only a few forced exchanges and defending against deadly moves, but it ended up quite miserable.
The TV station couldn't highlight someone else's achievements in a personal interview, right? That would be foolish.
Therefore, the initial idea of boosting viewership using Baimu's fame fell through.
"With the rise of the internet in recent years, fewer people watch TV, and it's getting harder for our station." Zhucun complained, noting that the station used to select one or two trainers for a personal interview almost weekly.
From Champions, Celestial Kings to Gym Leaders, Conference winners, and even powerful civilian trainers.
Nowadays, only Celestial Kings and Gym Leaders' personal interviews get some ratings, ordinary trainers' interviews barely attract viewers, even Gym Leaders without significant fame have low ratings.
Hence, the segment changed from weekly to monthly, recently considering quarterly interviews.
Quarterly?
With such long intervals, will anyone watch?
Baimu couldn't help but doubt, and upon hearing Naqi had done a personal interview three years ago and now was a re-edition, he had no expectations for the show.
A program recycling old content is destined to fail.
As they chatted, Zhucun suddenly shifted his tone, stating that if Baimu shines in the upcoming major festivals or Ever Grande Conference, the station might attempt developing his personal project.
"Lord Baimu's recent popularity is incredible, your Fish Leaping the Dragon Gate performance at the Fallarbor Conference finals was sensational, no one in our station doesn't know you."
"Director Zhucun, you're exaggerating..."
"Not at all, not even slightly." Zhucun shook his head quickly, "You will eventually become someone great, doing a personal interview is only a matter of time, and I hope Lord Baimu can guide us then."
To be honest.
Baimu wasn't very interested in TV station interviews.
But he knew Shanren far in Ore would definitely urge him to participate, so deciding that he couldn't escape it, he proactively sought to understand the specific circumstances.
They didn't talk for long.
Considering the occasion wasn't fit for a prolonged conversation, Naqi still had other challengers to attend to, and the director needed to gather enough material from upcoming battles.
Baimu gained a superficial understanding of the interview production process and then said his goodbyes.
He walked down the long stairs.
Halfway down, Shouta's voice called from behind.
"Wait! Baimu! Wait for me!"
He turned around, puzzled, "What's up?"
Shouta quickly ran to stand beside him, slightly out of breath, fiddling with his hair, glancing around, "Um..."
Baimu and Mawile exchanged a glance, not speaking but quietly waiting for the child to speak.
Back when Blissey was much more reserved, a simple sentence would take a minute for it to say, so their patience was well-trained.
"I, if I travel, can I become as strong as you?" Shouta finally, as if gathering his courage, asked.
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