“First bite goes to the followers…”
Aiden slowly panned his phone across the feast spread over the table, making sure to get plenty of footage before finally picking up his bowl and chopsticks and settling in to hear the man’s story.
As it turned out, Maractus Town had once been a thriving place.
The local residents raised Maractus and used their seeds as ingredients in all kinds of regional specialties, many of which had become famous throughout the surrounding area.
Trainers traveling through the Desert Resort, along with explorers heading into the wilderness, would regularly stop by the town to eat, rest, and stock up before continuing on their journeys.
Then the desert resort had been developed.
Most travelers naturally began choosing the larger, livelier resort with its wider range of attractions and better facilities.
Little by little, Maractus Town lost its visitors, its businesses declined, and the settlement began to fade.
The man had tried everything he could think of to save his hometown.
He had even gone so far as to use his Shiny Maractus as bait to attract passing Trainers.
To make sure people actually spotted his partner, he had taken a job as a bus driver on the route leading through the desert, carefully arranging things so that passengers would notice the unusual Pokémon outside and give chase.
The plan did bring some Trainers into town.
Through a combination of discounts, heartfelt explanations, and repeated apologies, he had even managed to earn the forgiveness of a fair number of people after they realized they had been deliberately lured there.
Unfortunately, the town’s reputation had still continued sliding in the wrong direction.
That was why he had begun considering other ways to attract visitors.
For example, paying online creators to promote the place.
“I see.
What a moving story…”
Aiden nodded solemnly while saying something he didn’t believe for a second.
Inside his head, however, he was already estimating the distance between Maractus Town and the ruins he had discovered.
‘How much money can I squeeze out of this?’
Aiden’s thoroughly shameless little brain immediately went to work.
Once news of the newly discovered ruins spread, Maractus Town was almost guaranteed to benefit simply because of how close it was.
On top of that, the food here was genuinely good.
With several advantages lining up at once, the town might not become some massive tourist sensation, but a decent surge in popularity was entirely realistic.
And in that situation, taking on a promotional deal was practically free money.
Even better, if Aiden could somehow make it look as though the town’s revival had happened because of his promotion, his reputation as a content creator would rise along with it.
Then the sponsorship money would really start flowing.
Still, there was an old rule in business: the person chasing the deal was always at a disadvantage.
His account had barely gotten off the ground yet.
If he looked too eager, there was a good chance he would talk himself right out of the easiest money he had ever seen.
Aiden put down his bowl and chopsticks, then lifted Sprigatito into his lap.
While gently wiping the grease from the corners of her mouth with a handkerchief, he slowly shook his head.
“I’ve heard your story, and I understand how much you care about your hometown.
But…”
The man immediately grew anxious at the hint of rejection.
Before he could speak, however, Aiden raised a hand and stopped him.
“What have I ever done to make you treat me with such disrespect?”
Aiden tucked the handkerchief away, crossed one leg over the other, and began stroking Sprigatito like a budget Godfather impersonator.
“You came to me asking for help, yet you haven’t addressed me respectfully even once.
Since we started talking, you’ve called me ‘you’ fifteen times, and more than once you’ve tried to interrupt me while I was speaking…”
The man’s expression gradually filled with embarrassment.
What he failed to notice was Snivy rolling her eyes beside the table.
As one of Aiden’s earliest partners, Snivy had sat through more than a few brainstorming sessions while he worked on possible scripts for his videos.
Their collection included classics such as:
“Some Pokémon aren’t meant to be kept in cages.
Every feather they have shines with freedom.”
And:
“Give me a chance.
I didn’t have a choice before.
Now I want to be a good person.”
Naturally, “What have I ever done to make you treat me with such disrespect?” had also made the list.
Sprigatito was apparently familiar with the routine as well.
As Aiden stroked her fur, she half-closed her eyes, raised her chin toward the man, and adopted the haughtiest expression she could manage.
Caught up in the atmosphere, the man actually lowered his head.
“I’m sorry.
I was too impatient.
Please forgive me.”
“Mm.”
Aiden nodded.
Then silence fell.
And continued.
‘…That’s all I remember.’
Aiden’s mind went blank.
‘What happens next in the movie?’
Did the Godfather shoot this guy?
Probably not.
Fortunately, Aiden understood one crucial principle of talking people into things: never give them enough time to calm down and start thinking properly.
“You know what matters most in promotion?” he continued smoothly.
“Having something distinctive.”
He pointed toward the food.
“Those cookies made from Maractus seeds are already a great product.
If you industrialize production, standardize the process, align the operational granularity, build a factory, establish a company, go public…
forget revitalizing the town.
At that point, you could revitalize the entire region!”
Aiden began painting the brightest possible picture of the future.
Unlike the shameless transmigrator sitting across from him, the simple local man had already become completely absorbed in Aiden’s vision.
Aiden waited until the dream had fully taken hold before casually delivering the final blow.
“So for a promotion like this, we’re talking at least ten thousand.”
“…”
The moment money entered the conversation, the man abruptly regained his ability to think.
Unfortunately, he had already gotten far too attached to the beautiful future Aiden had just described.
After a long silence, he raised one hand and spread all five fingers.
“Five thousand!”
“Deal!”
“…”
Aiden agreed without even pretending to hesitate.
His account currently had five followers in total, and that number included Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny.
If he could somehow land a five-thousand-Pokédollar sponsorship with an audience that small, then clearly his five followers were worth more than ordinary followers.
Afterward, the man personally guided Aiden around town while he gathered promotional footage.
By the time they were finished, Aiden had eaten his way through half the local specialties, collected a generous pile of freebies, and thoroughly explored Maractus Town from one end to the other.