Pokémon, but cultural invasion.

After posing, Daye couldn't wait to ask, "Is that right, Izumi-sensei?"

"very good."

Quanshu gave a thumbs up: "Daye has set a great example!"

"Think about your challengers, they are all hot-blooded teenagers in their early teens. The experience of losing the battle after saying a few cringey lines is better than defeating them without saying a word."

He tapped the blackboard again to draw everyone's attention back: "Once we register an account and establish our persona, we can start preparing to manage the account."

"You can share your daily life with Pokémon, the strange challengers you encountered today, reveal how the gyms work behind the scenes, and so on."

"However, the most recommended and simplest way for you to operate is to ride the wave of trending topics."

Izumi gave another example: "For instance, if I were Xiaosong, and Ms. Cynthia were visiting the Snow Peak Gym today, I could post a status update with a photo to attract Cynthia's fans."

"Popular people and events are all fine, as long as there's traffic to ride."

The museum owners were once again deep in thought, a test that required not only skill but also thick skin.

Cynthia, her brow furrowed, suddenly realized.

She held up her phone, which displayed Quanshu's latest post on Pikachu.

"I've become a lecturer at the Sinnoh League Building!"

The accompanying photo shows Izumi standing by the window outside the conference room, posing with everyone inside.

He struck a pose with his index finger raised in a shushing gesture, and through the glass, one could see Cynthia, Gossip, Da Ye, and others inside.

The comment section below was in an uproar, filled with envy and jealousy, and even some fans cheering.

Cynthia exclaimed excitedly, "I get it! This is what Izumi-sensei meant by 'riding the coattails' of something trending, right?"

Quanshu's face darkened.

"Excellent application of knowledge, Zhulan, you learn very quickly, but playing with your phone in class is prohibited, so this is a warning."

Sister Cabbage: ?

...

In the following lectures, Wusong gradually changed his opinion of Quanshu.

His initial eloquent remarks might have contained some inspirational elements, but what followed was all practical marketing advice.

Finally, Quanshu's mouth was dry from talking.

He did not forget the fine traditions of Earth: "Before get out of class ends, I will give the students some homework."

"You've all seen the script that was handed out at the beginning of the meeting. There's also a small script on the back. The script only has a general outline; you'll have to fill in the details yourself."

"Within three days, you need to shoot your own promotional video according to the requirements on the A4 paper. The video should be no longer than thirty seconds and should be released on the official account of the Lily of the Valley Conference."

"We will score the videos based on their views, likes, and completion rates. Note that this score will be included in the year-end evaluation of Sinnoh League Gym Leaders and Elite Four members."

Upon hearing the words "year-end assessment," everyone below felt their heads spin.

Who in their right mind would put this in their year-end performance review?

Where did this outdated culture come from? Is this how the Kanto Alliance usually plays?

"Don't worry too much, just think of it as practice for operating your dojo account in advance."

Quanshu smiled and said, "If you have any questions about filming, you can ask the photography team of the Lily of the Valley Organizing Committee for advice, or ask them for help."

"That concludes today's lesson. It has been an honor to explain this knowledge to everyone here. I am Quanshu, and I'll see you next time."

He packed his things and strolled out of the conference room.

The important parts of the meeting have been completed; what remains is just the pointless time for the person in charge to assign other tasks.

Cynthia found an opportunity to come out through the back door.

She leaned closer and whispered, "Don't tell them that the suggestion to include it in the year-end performance review was your idea."

"I just want to add some trendy, modern elements to the Sinnoh League's management system."

To be honest, Izumi felt that the gym leaders in Sinnoh were too complacent and needed some stimulating stimulation to get their minds in order.

In a world without performance appraisals and KPIs, well, a tree that's been rained on will naturally tear apart someone else's umbrella.

However, the fact that the Sinnoh League agreed is enough to demonstrate their emphasis on the Suzuran Conference and their determination to reform it.

Cynthia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear: "Do I have to do that homework you mentioned?"

"Another inch!"

Quanshu snapped his fingers: "But unlike theirs, your promotional video is longer and will be produced by our crew."

In fact, members of the Teigo film team were already making preparations for their trip to the Sinnoh region.

After careful consideration, he decided to film the new movie in Sinnoh.

The Sinnoh region's naturally cold climate has resulted in vegetation characteristics that are more in line with the story's background than those of Kanto.

Filming took place primarily in two locations: Xuefeng City at the foot of Tianguan Mountain and a small archipelago north of Tianguan Mountain.

Xuefeng City is covered in snow all year round, and you can see the distant Tianguan Mountain from the city streets.

Izumi Tree plans to have the super-strong construction team and props group build Viking-style wooden buildings as a film set on the northern islands.

He lifted Zoroya off his shoulder.

After being pampered for so long, it's time to test Zoroah's transformation abilities.

Holding Zoroa in her arms, Izumi asked frankly, "Sister Cabbage, do you have any photos from when you were little?"

"It covers everything from childhood to student days, and even the championship stage, but what do you need this for?"

Cynthia was unaware of the other person's intentions. People often feel ashamed about their childhood, and she was no exception.

"The promotional video will include a segment of your childhood performance to show your growth. I plan to transform this child into your childhood appearance, and also include photos from your teenage years."

Izumi looked completely innocent as he patted Zoroa's little paws: "I think this method is more effective than finding a stunt double."

"Woof!"

Solomon glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of disdain.

By outlining the growth trajectory of characters through changes in age, Cynthia could imagine that the effect would be quite good.

"Okay, I'll organize the photos when I get back and send them to you on Navigator."

Before deciding to move the filming location from Kanto to Sinnoh, Izumi also consulted Lance's opinion.

The latter said it didn't matter, as crossing regions at Dragonite's speed was not difficult, it would just take an extra hour or two.

......

Three days after Izumi arrived in the Sinnoh region, rumors began to circulate.

"Have you heard? The gym leaders in the Sinnoh region have all been possessed by evil spirits. Someone saw them making strange movements in an empty park."

"It's like it's been possessed by some Ghost-type Pokémon, it's spouting weird things."

The news quickly spread online, as the challengers noticed the gym leader's unusual behavior.

This includes saying strange things before a match and making some awkward physical gestures.

Some astute netizens noticed: "Isn't this the time shortly after Izumi went to the Sinnoh League to give a lecture? Could it be that he went there with something unclean?"

"Director Quan, please come forward and explain yourself. You haven't posted any daily photos these past few days. Could you have gotten lost because of the dirty things that came out of the ruins?"

It wasn't until the Sinnoh League posted seven or eight short videos on the Lily of the Valley Conference account that this happened.

The people of Sinnoh who clicked to watch were struck dumb.

"This museum owner is a monster!"

Chapter 129 Can't win, absolutely can't win

The Sinnoh League's registered Lily of the Valley tournament account initially went unnoticed.

The organizing committee's official account simply posts pictures of the local customs and culture of the host city, the athletes' entrance at the opening ceremony, and the torch relay, and maybe a few replays of previous finals.

The simple promotional video is like a plain, compressed biscuit; it tastes bland to viewers and is only slightly more popular than a television commercial.

Only a hot-blooded, clueless rookie trainer would find this interesting.

Until the account posted promotional posters for the conference, which were simultaneously projected onto electronic billboards in various cities and alleys of the Sinnoh region.

The poster no longer features an aerial view of Lily of the Valley and the arena, nor does it depict the little finches released by the torchbearers.

Instead, it features contestants who have left a deep impression over the years and their signature Pokémon, as well as new trainers participating this year.

The contestants, focused on their training, didn't notice anything amiss, but the online surfers and local residents were the first to sense an atmosphere quite different from previous years.

That captured moment from the battle: the image of training together with Pokémon, the backs of two people supporting each other, the tense confrontation with the opponent, the determined gaze of gritting teeth and persevering, the golden rain as the trophy is lifted...

Each poster has a unique style, is taken from a challenging angle, and possesses a strong sense of tension and conviction, breaking away from the old, fixed style that has been around for many years.

Whether it's passersby or internet users surfing the web, they all take a second look and stop to watch this novel thing.

The Lily of the Valley Festival has always been reluctant to promote itself, so such a drastic change in style is quite strange.

Even stranger was the first video posted under the account.

This wasn't any of the previous tournament finals, but rather a scene of King Wu Song sitting in a chair, facing the camera.

Only those inexperienced and enthusiastic young people would follow the newly created Lily of the Valley Conference account and click to watch the videos.

Especially those trainers who are about to embark on a journey and are so excited about receiving the starter Pokémon the next day that they can't sleep.

I already couldn't sleep, and the Lily of the Valley Conference is the final destination for every new Sinnoh trainer.

Naturally, the newlyweds secretly hid under the covers in the darkened room and watched the video.

"That year's final was between A-Liu and Cynthia, with the final score being 2:6."

Wu Song had a calm demeanor, and he wore glasses.

The deep musical notes that rose during the narration seemed to come from a distant land, creating a hazy, veiled effect.

The scene changes, and a little finches fly high in the sky, with the verdant Lily of the Valley Island spread out beneath its wings.

It swooped down and flew toward the entrance to the Lily of the Valley Arena.

The entrance was illuminated by the lights of the battle arena, and cheers and whistles surged from both sides like a tsunami.

The battle was over, and the tall figure waiting for the award on the podium, along with the many Pokémon standing there, looked incredibly familiar.

Every new Sinnoh trainer can be identified just by their silhouette – that's their champion Cynthia and ace Garchomp.

Just when everyone thought the camera was about to focus on the champion's glorious moment, the little jaguar flew away from the podium, and the camera turned to the loser—Aliu.

The scyther and the dragon scorpion supported him, while the queen bee wiped away his tears.

The cameraman was even filmed in the surrounding area, making the scene less "clean".

A-Liu walked down from the stage, his head bowed, behind him were rows of shining spotlights and the championship trophy symbolizing glory.

The camera followed the movement, but was blocked by the enormous body of the Dragon King Scorpion.

When A-Liu reappeared on screen, it was a tearful turn of his head, a look of regret and resentment.

"I saw Ah Liu walk down the platform and burst into tears. I will never forget that scene."

Gosho's calm tone carried a resolute determination: "At that moment, I thought, if I could become a trainer and participate in the Lily of the Valley Tournament, I would definitely win everything."

"Now that the championship trophy is right in front of me, I have to consider whether this is the only chance I will ever have in my life."

"It is our duty to restore the glory of Sinnoh!"

After the powerful words, the video froze on a ring of brightly lit torches on the outer wall of the Lily of the Valley Stadium.

This promotional video is different from the past. There are no loud slogans, no monotonous pre-match interviews, and not even any exciting battle scenes.

It was just a contestant's personal account, and a loser's tearful farewell to the competition in a final, yet it conveyed a sense of power.

This power doesn't come from powerful moves or meticulous tactics; it comes from the trainers' and Pokémon's innate desire for victory.

It is both a belief and a source of strength.

For clueless new trainers, this feeling wasn't obvious at first, but it intensified as more and more promotional videos were played.

Denji, with his hands behind his back, high-fived Electabuzz's tail: "I am the future."