Alex looked at the various offers on the PIT websites. There were offers for many different types of sponsorships by many private parties. This included adventure sponsorships by Silph Co, Devon Corporation, and Celadon Department Store to name a few, Gym Sponsorship by 9 of the 16 Gyms in Kanto, a fully sponsored admission into various academies, including but not limited to various Ranger Academies, Police Academies, Nurse Academies, or general Pokemon Academies. There were fully sponsored internships from various forces like International Police, various research labs, and some private forces, which would eventually result in a job there.
The best adventure sponsorships with the least restrictive conditions were from Silph Co, Devon Corporation, and Oak Corall, which was the famous Professor Oak's private laboratory, in that order.
Silph Co offered an insane amount of money to get you started on your journey, any Pokemon short of pseudo-legendaries and actual legendaries available in Kanto or Johto, an unlimited supply of their best Pokeballs, and a package that includes free healing and stays at any Pokemon Center. Their major condition was to reach the top 16 in the Indigo Conference within 3 years while representing Silph Co, and then cooperate in the endorsements of Silph Co. There were a few other conditions such as representing Silph Co in a few local tournaments, contests, and festivals, for which you would be rewarded if you made any achievements. Their offer also included access to purchase things from their internal inventory.
Devon Corporation offered to get you any Pokemon except for some rarer ones from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn, Sinnoh, and even from Unova. They offered you a significant monthly stipend, and channels to purchase almost anything publicly sold via their extensive connections, access to purchase items from their internal inventory, and of course, a package that includes free healing and stays at any Pokemon Center. Their conditions were nearly identical to those of Silph Co.
Oak Corall's sponsorship was different. Oak Corall offered you a pick among the three Imperial Starters of Kanto, nothing else. And the money offered was a decent amount to get you started, with nothing more. There was the package that includes free healing and stays at any Pokemon Center, but that was it.
But the real benefits of Oak Corall was all their non-monetary incentives. Oak Corall offered to take care of and provide the best environment to any Pokemon you catch that you couldn't take with you for some reason. The Pokedex, the newly invented and rapidly becoming popular gadget, which was like a mini-encyclopedia of Pokemon and came with several features like that of a phone and served as identification, was an exclusive benefit of Oak Corall. Also, the Imperial Starters provided by the laboratory were of very high talent compared to those in the wild.
There was no mandatory requirement to get a particular rank in the Indigo League, or participate in local events for the Oak sponsorship. All that was required was to regularly provide information about your adventures and encounters, catch rare Pokemon if requested or happen to come across during your adventure and contribute them for research, and represent Oak Corall if you do happen to participate in the Indigo League.
While the benefits offered by Oak Corall were lower, there was the advantage of the freedom they provided.
"Which papers are you going to attempt? I am going to attempt the papers of Silph Co, Devon Corporation, and Oak Corall. I actually just want to go for Oak Corall, but I will apply to the other two just in case. I really like the free reign provided there, plus I want to have acquaintances for when I decide to take back by Crobat" said Joseph.
"I am attempting the same three. And I too have Oak Corall as my first choice" said Alex.
Alex was determined to start his adventure in Pallet Town with one of the Kanto starters, not just because of the lack of pressure or supervision offered by Oak Corall, but also because he liked the idea of starting in Pallet Town with one of the three Kanto starters, just like he did in the many many playthroughs of the first generation games in his previous life.
He looked at the list of sponsorships some more, just in case he missed something. He looked at the internship offered by the International Police, and after considering it, shook his head. While he liked the idea of being law enforcement, the thought of hierarchies, vying for promotions, rivalries, and bureaucracy that was sure to exist in this kind of organisation, plus the possibility of it being riddled with dangerous Team Rocket spies discouraged him.
As he was about to confirm his selection of the three adventure sponsorships offered by Silph Co, Devon Corporation, and Oak Corall, he noticed an option which he previously disregarded, that he was seriously beginning to consider.
"Oak Corall research internship" he muttered.
Bonus Chapter for 300 Power Stones!
1 or 2 more chapters tomorrow will wrap this volume up.
About the last sentence, I am seriously considering it. Do let me know what you think.