Kapitel 592: Aunt Aoba
Due to the opening of Verdanturf Gym, Verdanturf Town had been bustling for several days. Flint and his group had also stayed in Verdanturf Town for a while before returning to Sinnoh.
However, even though the gym had been constructed, Yuga hadn't moved from his original house. He still preferred his home.
On the other hand, Beidou, Anya, Misaki, Lain, and Windy had all moved into the gym, as it had plenty of rooms to accommodate everyone.
The second floor of the new building was now vacant, and Yuga planned to convert these rooms into individual studios for Anya, Misaki, Lain, and the others. This way, they wouldn't have to cram into a single studio.
As for the first-floor studio from before, it was transformed into a storage room for materials. Anya and the others used it for creating Pokéblocks and incense. Yuga intended to have the Pokémon deliver materials there in advance.
The room that originally belonged to Windy was rearranged by Yuga and turned into a bedroom for Audino and Wigglytuff. Since Audino and Wigglytuff usually helped in the store, Yuga allowed them to stay upstairs.
With the gym officially open, Yuga began considering the recruitment of gym staff. On the second day of the Verdanturf Gym's opening ceremony, the maintenance staff assigned by the Pokémon League arrived.
According to Yuga's arrangement, the maintenance staff officially moved into the Verdanturf Gym. There were two of them, a man named Himuro and a woman named Akane. Coincidentally, they were a couple. Himuro partnered with a Graveler, specializing in Rock and Ground types, while Akane's partner was a Donphan, focused on Ground types. Both had been trained specifically for their maintenance duties.
In addition to the Pokémon League-assigned maintenance staff, Yuga's gym also needed to hire a chef and two janitors.
With the increasing number of people living in the gym, and Audino and Wigglytuff helping out at the Pokémon Day Care, there simply wasn't enough time to prepare meals for everyone.
Yuga posted his job recruitment requirements on the gym's entrance, and to his surprise, the first person to apply was someone he knew, Arata Sena's mother, Aunt Aoba.
Yuga led Aunt Aoba into the gym's lobby and invited her to take a seat.
"Aunt Aoba, if you come to work here, what about your job at the vegetable market?" Yuga asked.
Aunt Aoba's family ran a vegetable market, and currently, the daycare bought vegetables from her.
Aunt Aoba waved it off, saying, "No worries, we still have my husband back home. Besides, our little Arata is living here now, so I feel better if I'm around."
However, although Aunt Aoba said this on the surface, her decision to work here wasn't solely because of Arata, or at least not entirely.
Yuga nodded after hearing Aunt Aoba's words. Her family had been selling vegetables at the market for years, and they were all familiar with each other. There was no doubt about her reliability while working in the gym.
"Aunt Aoba, since you want to apply for the chef position, can you show me your skills?" Yuga inquired. There still needed to be an assessment, and he couldn't just hire her because she was an acquaintance.
"No problem, you can count on me," Aunt Aoba replied confidently. She was very self-assured about her culinary skills and agreed without hesitation.
Following this, Yuga took Aunt Aoba to the gym's kitchen, where they had all the necessary tools and ingredients.
Yuga: "Aunt Aoba, just use these ingredients and make something casually for me to taste your cooking skills."
Aunt Aoba: "Alright, just wait."
After saying that, Aunt Aoba began to work diligently in the kitchen.
About an hour later, Aunt Aoba had prepared a table full of dishes that made Yuga's mouth water just by smelling them.
Judging by the appearance of these dishes alone, Yuga could tell that Aunt Aoba's culinary skills were exceptional.
After tasting them, Yuga gave Aunt Aoba a thumbs up, genuinely impressed by the taste of the dishes. They not only looked good but also tasted fantastic.
"Aunt Aoba, I didn't expect your cooking skills to be this amazing," Yuga praised sincerely.
Aunt Aoba's culinary skills were comparable to Audino's, but they excelled in different aspects. Audino learned its skills mostly through self-study, often referring to online recipes, which made its dishes visually appealing.
On the other hand, Aunt Aoba's culinary skills had been honed over the years, specializing in home-cooked dishes that provided a warm and comforting feeling when eaten.
Yuga believed that the gym's chef should be someone like Aunt Aoba. Everyone living in the gym, apart from Arata Sena, had left their hometowns to come to Verdanturf Town. Having a taste of home-cooked meals every day could provide much-needed comfort.
In comparison, Audino's culinary skills, while excellent, might not be the best fit for the gym's chef position.
Putting down his chopsticks, Yuga smiled at Aunt Aoba and said, "Aunt Aoba, welcome to work at the gym."
Upon her successful application, Aunt Aoba was delighted. "Yuga... oh, I should call you Gym Leader now. Don't worry; I'll do my best."
Yuga responded, "Aunt Aoba, you don't need to tease me like that. We're so close; you can still call me Yuga. I'm not used to being called Gym Leader."
Aunt Aoba laughed heartily. "Alright, then I'll keep calling you Yuga."
After thinking for a moment, Yuga suddenly asked, "By the way, did you let Arata Sena know that you're applying to work here?"
Aunt Aoba rolled her eyes at his question. "Why should I tell him? He didn't inform me when he started working at your store either!"
Yuga nearly burst into laughter at her response. These mother and son sure knew how to hold grudges, still remembering something from a long time ago.
And so, Aunt Aoba officially became the gym's chef. When Arata Sena found out about this, he was almost dumbfounded, but he didn't object.
Following Aunt Aoba, the gym's two janitors were also hired, both of whom were local residents of Verdanturf Town. They didn't live in the gym but commuted back home after work each day.
With the gym staff in place, the gym started operating smoothly. While the Verdanturf Gym thrived, a mysterious middle-aged man quietly checked into a local inn in Verdanturf Town.
This middle-aged man was the last challenger, a pseudo-Elite Trainer, who had challenged Yuga during the gym's opening ceremony. After booking his room, he wandered around town with a nostalgic look in his eyes.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein