Although Ian was ready to take that step and had prepared almost everything for his journey with the help of his parents…
…the matter of choosing a Pokémon proved to be a major hurdle for the Yates family.
While they weren’t destitute, the most they could afford was a Pokémon with yellow potential.
They simply couldn’t shoulder the cost of one with green potential, which usually ran over a hundred thousand pokedollars.
However, Ronan had introduced a Pokémon loan service based on government policies and League laws from his past life.
This type of business had actually appeared in some breeding centers before, but it was far from refined.
In the past, many conflicts had occurred due to dissatisfaction with the sales contracts.
Ronan, however, had established a more comprehensive sales system and aligned it with the newly revised League laws to ensure the rights and interests of the Aoba Breeding Center.
Just as the Yates family was worrying over Ian’s starter Pokémon, the boy came running downstairs excitedly, clutching his computer.
He shoved the screen right in front of his parents—’This boy is going to be the death of me!’—and shouted, “Mom, Dad, look at this!” The screen displayed the official website of the Aoba Breeding Center, specifically the images for Murkrow and Shroomish.
According to the site’s data, both of these Pokémon had green potential.
The Yates family was initially delighted, but their expressions quickly dimmed when they saw the price tags of 300,000 and 250,000 pokedollars.
Though the couple’s income was decent, they were still an ordinary family.
While they had saved up some money over the years, Ian wasn’t their only child.
Their younger daughter was also reaching the age to attend the Pokémon Academy.
Although League subsidies kept the costs relatively low compared to specialized trainer or breeder academies, it was still a significant burden for the Yates family.
The world of Pokémon wasn’t as perfect as it appeared in cartoons.
The League was still in a developmental stage, and incidents of wild Pokémon harassing humans occurred frequently.
There were even stray Pokémon roaming the cities.
It wasn’t easy for ordinary people to become trainers.
The Yates family lived comfortably, but not comfortably enough to easily fund a trainer’s career.
Ian’s parents had already spoken seriously with him, explaining that if he chose this path, they would provide only the basics: a starter Pokémon and 100,000 pokedollars in starting funds.
Beyond that, Ian would have to rely entirely on himself once he set out.
Ian knew there was no other way; being a trainer was a difficult path.
However, he also knew he was lucky to have parents who loved him and were willing to support him with everything they could give.
He had been prepared to settle for a Poochyena or Taillow with yellow potential, but after seeing the new sales service on the Aoba Breeding Center’s website, hope flared in his heart once more.
He immediately shared the news with his parents.
Seeing the look on their faces, he realized they hadn’t noticed the specific detail he wanted them to see.
He quickly explained the details of the Aoba Breeding Center’s offer to them.
“Is it true?
If this is real, your Pokémon situation is saved!” Mrs.
Yates asked excitedly.
They had been worrying about this for days.
As parents, they naturally wanted to give their child the best possible start.
Even though they weren’t trainers themselves, they understood that a starter Pokémon had a massive impact on a trainer’s growth.
Despite everything they had already done for Ian, the thought of their son starting his journey with a common Pokémon of yellow potential filled them with a sense of guilt.
However, hearing about the Aoba Breeding Center’s new service rekindled their hope.
Although the website stated clearly that one had to pass a test to qualify for the purchase, the Yates couple decided that no matter what, they had to go and see.
On the other side of town, Ronan was in the middle of a discussion with Mrs.
Celia.
After returning from the farm, Ronan had mentioned the idea of hiring her.
After taking a few days to consider it seriously, Mrs.
Celia decided to accept his invitation.
Once they finalized the terms of her employment, Ronan closed the breeding center doors with a satisfied smile and headed to the second floor to rest.
Additionally, he needed to draft the contracts for Mrs.
Celia and the Ogden siblings.
Once these three employees officially joined, the Aoba Breeding Center would truly be fully operational.
Ronan would finally be able to focus on training his new Pokémon.