All expenses within the “Pokémon Diva Idol Project,” including Pokémon training costs, the event team’s travel expenses, food and drink, and other aspects were fully funded by Otonokizaka Entertainment Company.
Hiyoko Minami had signed a contract with the company, so most of what she was currently doing fell within the scope of labor defined by her work contract. At the same time, she herself was receiving a rather generous salary as compensation.
In other words, the entire project was the private property of Otonokizaka Entertainment Company. Hiyoko Minami was merely an employee, so naturally she had no authority to interfere with the company’s decisions.
As for whose name the project was under or who the true boss behind the scenes was, Hiyoko Minami actually did not care. What she worried about was her dream and the effort she had poured into this project. Although this was technically part of her job responsibilities, in order to complete the project as perfectly as possible, the energy she invested far exceeded the duties stipulated in her contract, even without receiving additional pay.
“Mr. Terrance…”
After receiving the news, Hiyoko Minami quickly sought out Terrance to understand the reason behind it. More than anything, she wanted to know Terrance’s future plans for both the project and herself. Previously, she had been able to take full responsibility for the project, but after the change in ownership, the direction the project would take was no longer something she could decide.
Whether the project continued according to the original plan or was terminated altogether, as long as it did not violate the original terms of the contract, she had no way to change Terrance’s decision.
“You’re here… There’s no need to worry first. I have no intention of terminating this project.”
Before meeting Terrance, Hiyoko Minami had worried that perhaps her earlier offense had displeased him, but she realized she had overthought things.
“The reason I wanted to take over this project is because I admire both you and the project itself.”
“Admire?” Hiyoko Minami asked in confusion.
“If you don’t mind, from now on I’ll call you Miss Hiyoko.” Terrance slowly said, “I know the music academy you graduated from, and I’m also aware of your major. If I remember correctly, it shouldn’t have involved Pokémon’s sound-based moves, right?”
Hiyoko touched her throat and nodded. “Yes. At the time, my family’s financial situation was limited, so I could only choose a major with lower requirements based on my own strengths. However, the academy had abundant resources, so I taught myself and asked classmates about knowledge related to Pokémon sound-based moves. After graduating, I spent additional time outside of work gathering materials and studying, eventually earning a degree in Pokémon Acoustics on my own.”
Pokémon Acoustics was an extremely niche and obscure field. If Hiyoko Minami herself had not appeared before Terrance, he probably would never even have known such a major existed.
“May I ask what your dream is?”
Dream…
After pausing in surprise for a moment, Hiyoko said, “Although it has changed many times, right now, it would probably be to pour everything I’ve learned into perfectly building this project, and then have both it and my own name become renowned throughout this field.”
“That won’t be easy.” Terrance smiled faintly. “This project is only one of the five projects Otonokizaka Entertainment Company is currently developing, and Otonokizaka itself is merely a first-rate company in this field, not a top-tier one. Trying to achieve your dream with limited resources, and possibly even losing this job in the future because of contract changes—these are all obstacles.”
“I know that… which is why I’m working hard as well,” Hiyoko replied.
For ordinary people, graduating from a prestigious music academy and signing with a first-rate entertainment company already made Hiyoko an extremely successful person. But for Hiyoko herself, this was still far from enough. Without producing corresponding results, her current status was only temporary.
Just the expenses from traveling around the world during the eleven months since the official establishment of the “Pokémon Diva Idol Project,” along with all the benefits enjoyed and the resources invested into Lapras, Popplio, and Eevee, were not something she could easily afford. Without relying on the power of a corporation, she could never even speak of achieving her dream.
Therefore, Hiyoko naturally understood the difficulties Terrance was referring to. If, after the project was officially completed, it failed to produce corresponding results, then the resources invested into it afterward would decrease. Under such a vicious cycle, she might even fail to meet the contract’s requirements and end up burdened with a huge breach-of-contract penalty herself…
“Mm, then I’ll get straight to the point.” Terrance continued. “You will still remain the person in charge of this project. I can increase both the resource investment and your salary by twenty percent on top of the current foundation. I can even provide you opportunities to study higher-level Pokémon sound-based moves. Mm… in other words, the unique knowledge systems summarized by veteran Trainers and Breeders who specialize in this field. And when necessary, I can even let Altaria make a guest appearance as one of the group’s members. An idol group involving the ace Pokémon of an Elite Four, you should understand the commercial value and influence of that, right?”
“T-This…” Hiyoko’s heart trembled. Having come to meet Terrance prepared for the worst, she never could have imagined hearing such incredible news.
Leaving aside the increase in resources and salary, the mere label of “an Elite Four ace Pokémon” alone could crush everything else.
Why had the top superstar of Kalos and even the entire world, Diantha, maintained her leading position in the entertainment industry for so long? Aside from her own ability, her identity as a League Champion played an absolutely vital role! Although Terrance’s status was currently slightly inferior, one must not forget that Terrance was also one of the Contest Masters in the ever-expanding Coordinator field. With that kind of backing, Hiyoko’s dream… was practically already guaranteed. For a moment, the Hiyoko who had been prepared to lose her dream felt somewhat dazed.
“What do I need to give in return?” Hiyoko naturally understood that such favorable treatment could not possibly be given to her for free.
“It’s like this.” Terrance nodded. “Besides that, your responsibilities will become heavier. Aside from the idol aspect, I’ll also add some additional training duties to the project. Your research into sound-based moves is deeper than mine, and your perception of sound is better than mine as well. In other words, you’ll also have the responsibilities of a Pokémon Breeder.”
Current Elite Four members, such as Elite Four Agatha, possessed dozens or even hundreds of Pokémon. What gave Terrance the clearest impression were Giovanni’s several Pokémon armies. With such massive numbers of Pokémon, it was naturally impossible for one person to care for them all alone. Even the Petalburg Gym Terrance had once visited employed several dedicated Breeders.
As the number of Pokémon increased, even with Rotom Pokédex’s assistance, Terrance was beginning to feel overwhelmed. If not for the support provided by Fairy Aura, combined with the fact that most of the Pokémon he raised were Fairy Types, it would have been difficult for him to manage them all. Furthermore, after becoming an Elite Four, Terrance carried heavy responsibilities and a busy schedule. While enjoying corresponding resources, he also had to devote a certain amount of time in return, leaving him with even less time to carefully train so many Pokémon himself.
At times like this, the role of dedicated Breeders became apparent. In the future, when Terrance captured even more Pokémon, he might hire additional Breeders as well.
Hiyoko Minami was the first elite talent Terrance had taken a liking to. Although she was not a traditional Breeder, who could blame him when she was also the person in charge of the Diva Project that even Terrance considered to have enormous potential?
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