If it were his own affairs, of course, he wouldn't need to go through so much trouble, nor would he need to use the word 'consult' with Natsuhiko.
The relationship between the two is still quite good.
"Hmm?" Natsuhiko pondered for a moment before tentatively asking, "Devon Company?"
Flint nodded, "Yes... Natsuhiko, your 'Affinity' experiment with Mr. Sakuragi is about to end, right?"
Upon hearing this, Natsuhiko vaguely understood what Flint was getting at.
He candidly said, "Yes, it should be over within a month."
"Our... my father's intention, as well as the board's, is to strive for the rights to manufacture your 'Affinity' instrument." Flint rarely spoke with hesitation.
Understandably so.
If the counterpart was a stranger, Flint would just handle things officially.
But after all, the counterpart is Natsuhiko, and their relationship is so good.
It's easy to make people feel that Flint is leveraging their relationship, hence his hesitation.
Upon hearing Flint's words, Natsuhiko came to a realization.
Devon Company, as expected of a top-tier company in the entire Pokemon Realm, has a very keen sense in these aspects.
Undoubtedly.
Once 'Affinity' is thoroughly verified, the 'Affinity' detection instrument is bound to become a necessary tool for every Trainer.
No matter whether their Pokémon requires Affinity evolution, who wouldn't want to know if their relationship with their Pokémon is good or bad?
It represents a huge slice of the pie.
And as the authors of the 'Affinity' paper, Sakuragi and Natsuhiko hold the key to accessing this piece of the pie.
So at this moment, Flint represents Devon Company, not just Natsuhiko's friend.
Moreover, only these few people are aware of Natsuhiko's 'Dodo' identity.
Natsuhiko gently pressed his temple, "I feel that I shouldn't be the one to decide on this. Mr. Sakuragi might be better suited to speak first."
Even though the slice is huge, Natsuhiko, as one of the participants, will inevitably benefit from it.
But he still has principles.
He only proposed the topic for the entire research and helped Sakuragi avoid some pitfalls in the process; most of it was done by Sakuragi. It's inappropriate for him to speak first.
Flint smiled wryly, "I know, our company has also sent people to contact Mr. Sakuragi. Actually, it's not only us at Devon, but quite a few other companies, including Silver. But Mr. Sakuragi is so engrossed in research, he's not concerned with these things.
Also, according to his intention..."
Flint glanced at Natsuhiko, "He said the topic was first confirmed by you, the direction was determined by you, and the method was determined by you, he's merely a practitioner. So the decision should still be left to you.
It's just that others don't know the identity of 'Dodo' and can't confirm it, and it just so happens I know, so..."
"Wait, Mr. Sakuragi told me to decide?" Natsuhiko's eyes widened slightly.
Such a big decision given to him?
Natsuhiko expressed feeling helpless.
"Yes." Flint acknowledged.
Then promptly added, "However, Natsuhiko, my previous words were only representative of Devon Company, not my personal stance. Whatever choice you make, I wouldn't oppose it and it won't affect our relationship."
Public is public, private is private; Flint still distinguishes between the two clearly.
Natsuhiko pressed his temple, nodding to indicate he wouldn't misunderstand Flint.
Seeing he understood, Flint breathed a slight sigh of relief.
"Let me think. Is there another matter?"
Regarding the other matter, Flint smiled, "Aren't you building a dojo? Suiyi Town is bound to thrive with your construction. I'm confident in you, so this time I represent Devon, hoping to invest in the development of Suiyi Town."
This is indeed a mutually beneficial thing, even if Flint didn't come, likely some other businessmen in the Sinnoh Region would come upon hearing the news.
Compared to others, Natsuhiko clearly trusts Flint more.
"Oh, and there's one more minor thing."
Under Natsuhiko's gaze, Flint said, "No matter what decision you end up making, our Devon Company hopes to hire you as an honorary consultant. Just a titular position, enjoying the benefits without needing to work."
Natsuhiko has already shown talent and ability in both the Trainer field and the Researcher field. Of course, others might only know about his ability in the Trainer field, so Flint went against the opinion of many to make this decision, which is a rare company decision he made as Devon's Young Master.
Natsuhiko looked deeply at Flint and jokingly cursed, "Flint, you really brought me quite a lot of troubles."
Flint wasn't angry either.
The two exchanged looks and both laughed.
...
...
An office in the Sinnoh Region.
"Mr. Chi Ri, did you hear about the 'Lily Competition runner-up' building a dojo in Suiyi Town?"
Chi Ri, expressionless, listened to the subordinates' report while looking at the file in his hand.
"Continue." Chi Ri said calmly.
"The nursery in Suiyi Town... feels some pressure."
Chi Ri slowly put down the file in his hand and glanced at the subordinate kneeling in front of him.
The nursery in Suiyi Town is very significant to the entire Galaxy Team.
After all, the Galaxy Team can hide so well in the Sinnoh Region and steadily gain strength because the nursery delivers high-quality Pokémon stably, which is a crucial point.
"The Hunter Guild there, have we contacted it?" Chi Ri didn't talk about the issue in Suiyi Town but instead inquired about another matter.
"We have contacted, but... recently the Hunter Guild is quite chaotic..."
Chi Ri hung his eyes lower.
Slowly stood up.
"Bring me my coat."
————
Another chapter of nearly 5000 words, asking for monthly tickets~~