บท 1212: Filming
Yuga didn't expect that Joyka really knew about the beauty salon.
Recently, a new one opened in Verdanturf Town, and it was run by a relative of the Joy family. However, it wasn't called a beauty salon; instead, it was a Pokémon Private Club. They offered all the services of a traditional salon, plus more unique services.
In short, it was very upscale.
After getting a brief overview, the next day, Yuga took Ninetales there. When Nana heard about the outing, it insisted on tagging along to see for itself, so Yuga had no choice but to bring it too.
However, this new Pokémon club was still largely unknown, so when Yuga entered with Ninetales and Nana, there were only a few scattered guests with their Pokémon inside, and they were mostly elderly people. The place looked rather deserted.
Joyka had told Yuga that her relative invested quite a bit of money into this private club, so if business remained this slow, it was uncertain whether they'd end up going bankrupt.
Upon hearing that Yuga was visiting, the club manager came out eagerly to greet him. Since they were setting up shop in Verdanturf Town, the club naturally knew about Yuga and was happy to establish a good relationship with the local "big shot."
The manager was rather shrewd. When he saw Ninetales and Nana, he was stunned—such beauty, such elegance… absolutely remarkable.
Right away, he proposed to Yuga that if Ninetales and Nana were willing to film a promotional video for the club, they could enjoy a 50% discount on all future visits.
Yuga's eyes lit up at this offer—was there really such a good deal?
This luxury Pokémon club charged high fees for each visit, and given his Ninetales' refined tastes, it was likely it would want to come here often. That would add up to a hefty sum over time. Getting a 50% discount sounded like a golden opportunity!
However, Yuga didn't make the decision for Ninetales and Nana; he asked for their opinions.
As soon as Ninetales heard, it agreed immediately. After following Yuga for a while, it was no longer the naive Ninetales it had once been.
These days, many Pokémon starred in commercials, and Ninetales had secretly envied them a bit, longing for an opportunity for others to appreciate its beauty.
Now, it had that chance—how could it say no?
After all, Ninetales was very confident in its own beauty.
With Ninetales agreeing, Nana, who didn't think much of it, agreed as well.
Since both Ninetales and Nana accepted, Yuga was happy to go along with it. The place had been recommended by Joyka, and since the owner was a relative of the Joy family, Yuga wasn't worried about any foul play in their cooperation.
Hearing Yuga's acceptance, the manager was thrilled and personally escorted Yuga and the Pokémon to a private room, arranging for the best specialist to attend to them.
The Joy family is known as the largest medical organization in the Pokémon world, with extensive connections, so a club run by one of their relatives would naturally have top-tier specialists. The quality here was as good, if not better, than the beauty salon in Viridian City.
While the Pokémon enjoyed their services, there were also activities prepared for Trainers, so they wouldn't be left waiting idly. The club offered various entertainment options specifically for Trainers.
However, Yuga quickly noticed that most of these activities were geared towards an older audience. For instance, he was currently playing chess against a professional chess player.
Although Yuga wasn't particularly skilled at chess—he could play but didn't have any advanced strategies—he couldn't win a single game against this seasoned opponent.
The manager didn't leave right away, and after setting up everything for Yuga, he stayed to chat. It was through their conversation that Yuga learned the club had a rather unique clientele.
Though Verdanturf Town might not be as developed as larger cities like Mauville or Rustboro, it is renowned for one thing in Hoenn: its sanatoriums.
Verdanturf has a beautiful environment and is ideal for living, with many elderly people and patients residing in sanatoriums on its outskirts.
With Verdanturf's environmental policies and specialized agriculture in recent years, the town's surroundings have become even more attractive. As a result, more and more elderly people and patients have been coming to these sanatoriums for care, and many of these visitors share one trait—they're wealthy.
After all, without special circumstances, people with limited means wouldn't usually spend money on a stay in a sanatorium.
Therefore, one of the main customer groups for the Pokémon club is the elderly residents from these sanatoriums.
These elderly people aren't Trainers, but most of them have Pokémon companions they've been with since childhood. They have deep emotional bonds with their Pokémon, sometimes even valuing them more than their spouses or children, so they're very willing to spend money on them.
Unlike the Pokémon of Trainers, companion Pokémon don't undergo rigorous training, so their lifespans are relatively shorter. Many of them start aging alongside their owners and face various health issues as they grow older.
The club offers special services specifically to help care for the health of elderly Pokémon. With their connection to the Joy family, they certainly have the expertise for this.
Of course, they also offer other services similar to a beauty salon, though as a newly opened establishment, these areas of business haven't picked up yet.
Originally, Yuga had planned to promote his own products, but to his surprise, the Pokeblock, incense, and other supplies the club was using were already from YoYo Day Care, so there was no need for him to pitch them further.
After the session ended, Yuga left with Ninetales and Nana, both looking refreshed. The manager personally escorted them to the door. "Gym Leader Shimizu, spread the word about us when you can!"
"Of course, I will!" Yuga replied with a wave.
"I'll let you know when we're ready with the promotional video!" the manager called out.
"Sounds good!" Yuga responded.
On the way home, Yuga asked Ninetales, "So, what do you think? Which is better, this club or the beauty salon in Viridian City?"
Ninetales thought for a moment. "Hmm…they're about the same, but I prefer this place."
Yuga nodded, satisfied. As long as Ninetales liked it, he was happy.
For Nana, today had opened a door to a whole new world; it hadn't known it could live so indulgently. It resolved to come back often with Ninetales.
Yuga was still unaware that his regular expenses would be increasing once more.
In their good spirits, the two Pokémon chattered non-stop on the way back, even deliberately keeping their conversation out of Yuga's hearing, which annoyed him enough to ruffle Ninetales' fluffy, plush tails.
Fresh from their club treatment, Ninetales' tails felt even softer to the touch.
Though Ninetales was pleased enough not to mind too much, it gave Yuga a sidelong glare. But he'd gotten so used to those glares lately that he hardly felt a thing.
The club manager worked quickly. Entrusted with full control of the club by its owner, he held considerable authority, so within a few days, he informed Yuga to bring Ninetales and Nana over for the promotional video shoot.
Filming the promotional video didn't take nearly as long as making a movie, so Yuga, who didn't know much about such things, only needed to take Ninetales and Nana twice before it was done.
The finished video played on a huge display screen above the club building. In it, Ninetales and Nana showcased their elegance and beauty, drawing the attention of countless passersby and tourists. The club's owner spared no expense on the prime location, and with the eye-catching promotion, business picked up instantly. The manager even called Yuga specifically to express his gratitude.
When Ninetales learned of its accomplishment, it was exceedingly pleased, bragging to Yuga that it had saved him money.
Yuga felt like retorting, "If you didn't go, I'd save even more."
The matter seemed closed, but one day, someone showed up unexpectedly, saying he wanted Ninetales and Nana to star in a movie. Yuga was utterly baffled.
A movie? What on earth?
Initially, Yuga thought the person was a scammer and promptly sent him away, but the next day he came back, this time with a very earnest attitude.
After doing some online research, Yuga discovered that this person was indeed a highly renowned director whose movies he had seen multiple times—he just hadn't paid attention to the director's name.
The director had come to Verdanturf Town for a vacation and had stumbled upon the promotional video featuring Ninetales and Nana. He was instantly captivated by their presence and wanted to feature them in a movie.
After some inquiries, he found out that Ninetales and Nana belonged to YoYo Day Care and came to personally seek them out.
But Yuga ran a day care, not an entertainment company, so naturally, he intended to decline. While he often joked about how Ninetales spent his money, that was really just talk; he could easily afford it and didn't need Ninetales to earn a small amount of movie money.
Yuga's refusal was firm, but Ninetales wouldn't have it. With such beauty, staying hidden at home without an audience was a waste! It wanted to act in movies, become a star, and let the whole world admire its beauty.
Yuga was stunned by its vanity. "You're so self-obsessed! Are you a narcissist or something?"
Being democratic, Yuga respected the opinions of his team. Since Ninetales wanted to go, he had no choice but to agree.
Nana didn't even wait for Yuga's suggestion before declining the director's invitation. She preferred to stay cozy at home; filming the promo video was just something she went along with to keep Ninetales company. But filming a movie? She'd rather relax at home, enjoying food and playfully entertaining the kids—why bother going out and putting herself through all that?
While Nana wasn't interested, Spoink, who had been eavesdropping on the conversation from the sidelines, suddenly hopped out and expressed interest in going.
Spoink was a die-hard fan of magical girls and still took every chance to show off the magic robe Yuga had gifted it. While it didn't initially grasp the concept of movies, the rare opportunity was too tempting for it to pass up.
Yuga rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "Filming a movie has nothing to do with magical girls; are you sure you want to go?"
"I'm sure!" Spoink puffed out its chest, though with its round, plump body, it just ended up looking even more round.
Ninetales, watching from the side, mocked, "You're dark and ugly—what movie could you possibly film? Go home and get some sleep." Vain as ever, Ninetales preferred beautiful friends like Nana.
Spoink couldn't stand being taunted by Ninetales and insisted angrily on joining the movie.
Yuga reassured it, "We're not the ones filming; can we just skip this whole thing?"
The director, however, found Spoink's enthusiasm adorable and thought it might suit a role in the movie, so he encouraged it. This only strengthened Spoink's resolve.
It wasn't that Yuga opposed his Pokémon acting in a movie; he was just uneasy about it.
Since the movie wouldn't be filmed in Verdanturf Town, they'd definitely have to leave, and Yuga didn't have time to go along with them. This meant that his Pokémon would be traveling and working independently, which worried him.
In the end, it was decided that Ninetales and Spoink would go for the movie.
A few days later, Yuga learned about the film's plot and received a copy of the script.
The story followed a female trainer, who started as a young girl and, through countless trials, grew into a master.
Ninetales was cast as the trainer's mentor, a significant supporting role with few scenes but an important impact on the story.
Spoink's role was even smaller; it was the main character's innocent, adorable companion during her childhood but sadly met its end early on, serving as the catalyst for her character development.
To Yuga's surprise, the actress playing the trainer as an adult was none other than Diantha. Additionally, the filming location was in the Kalos region.
Yuga reasoned it made sense for a famous director to work with a big star. Although he wasn't particularly close with Diantha, he figured he could ask her to look after Ninetales and Spoink.
Most of the main cast had been decided early on, but after the director saw Ninetales and Nana's promo video, he was instantly drawn to them.
Originally, he had wanted Nana to play the love interest of the main Pokémon partner, but since it declined, he had to find a replacement. The love interest role was also fated to die in the movie.
However, Nana was actually a male, and it was unclear if the director had realized this.
The main Pokémon in the movie were a Lucario and a Riolu (as Lucario's younger self), both celebrity Pokémon.
In the film, Lucario was male, so naturally, a female partner Pokémon was ideal for the romantic subplot.
Gardevoir, while having no gender-specific differences, could appear visually similar for both genders, but finding an actual female Pokémon seemed preferable.
Diantha, as the Champion of Kalos, had Pokémon but never allowed her main team to participate in movies or TV shows.
On the day of filming, Yuga transmitted the Poké Balls for Ninetales and Spoink to Diantha. He had already contacted her in advance, hoping she'd keep an eye on the two rookies.
Diantha agreed easily, as it was no trouble for her.
However, when she received the Poké Balls, she was surprised to find that one was a Master Ball. What kind of Pokémon was important enough for Yuga to keep in a Master Ball?
Master Balls had long been discontinued, with the few remaining ones mainly kept as collectibles. Hardly anyone actually used them to store Pokémon!
After Ninetales and Spoink left, Yoyo Day Care returned to its usual quiet, though visitors often came inquiring about Spoink's whereabouts; these were mostly people drawn in by its fortune-telling.
Even though Spoink's divinations rarely came true, Chatot, ever the hustler, managed to build up a "fanbase" for it at the daycare entrance.
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